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REV.   BARON    STOW,    D.  D. 


A    IvIODEIv    PASTOR. 


A    MEMOIR 


Life  and  Correspondence 


OF 

REV.    BARON    STOW,    D.  D. 


JOHN  C.   STOCKBRIDGE,   D.  D. 


A  New,  Illustrated  Edition 
WITH  Biographical  Appendix. 


BOSTON: 

Lee  and  Shepard,  Publishers. 

1S94. 


Entered,  according-  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1871, 

By    KMZABKTH    L.  STOW. 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washing-ton. 


PRINTED  BY 

SNOW    &    FARNHAM, 

PROVIDENCE,   R.   I. 


This  New  Edition  of  tiie  Memoir  of  Dr.  Stow 

IS    DEDICATED 
TO    THE    MEMORY    OF 

MRS.   ELIZABETH  L.   STOW, 

THE    BELOVED    WIFE, 
AND     TO 

MISS    MATILDA     D.    STOW, 

THE    AFFECTIONATE    DAUGHTER 
OF 

BARON   STOW. 


PREFACE 


This  volume  is  a  compilation.  Tiie  editor  has  en- 
deavored to  make  such  a  selection  from  the  mass  of 
materiais  placed  in  his  hands  as,  in  his  judgment,  will 
interest  the  largest  number  of  readers.  In  the  journal 
of  Dr.  Stow  there  is  an  entry  which  has  been  kept  con- 
stantly in  mind  in  the  preparation  of  this  Memoir.  It 
bears  the  date  of  October  3,  1829. 

"Reading  memoir  of  Legh  Richmond,  by  Grim- 
shawe.  The  compiler  shows  himself  too  much.  A 
biographer  should  leave  his  biography  to  be  executed 
by  another." 

Scrupulous  care  has  been  taken  to  bring  out  in  full 
relief  the  man  whose  life  we  have  tried  to  portray,  let- 
ting him  speak  to  us  in  his  journal  and  correspondence, 
and  throuijh  the  activities  of  a  lonii,  laborious,  and 
successful  professional  life.  A  feeling  of  continual 
regret  has  followed  the  editor,  through  his  whole  work, 
that  he  has  been  obliged  to  omit  so  many  things  that  he 
would  gladly  have  laid  before  his  readers,  and  which, 
he   doubts  not,  they  would  have  read   with  pleasure. 

(6) 


6  PREFACE. 

Restricted,  however,  as  be  was,  to  one  volume,  and 
therefore  obliged  to  say  all  be  wished  to  say  within 
what  appeared  to  him  to  be  such  narrow  limits,  be  has 
sacrificed  his  personal  wishes  to  the  suggestions  of  the 
publishers  of  the  book. 

Special  thanks  are  due  to  the  friends  of  Dr.  Stow 
who  have  prepared  the  delightful  reminiscences  which 
will  be  found  in  this  volume.  Nor  would  it  be  just  to 
omit  to  notice  the  excellent  service  performed  by  Rev. 
S.  F.  Smith,  D.  D.,  whose  good  taste  in  the  selections 
made  from  the  very  voluminous  journal  of  Dr.  Stow 
entitles  him  to  our  warmest  praise.  No  one  more 
deeply  regrets  than  does  the  editor  that  Dr.  Smith  was 
uhable,  on  account  of  impaired  health,  to  complete  the 
work,  upon  the  performance  of  which  he  entered  soon 
after  the  decease  of  Dr.  Stow.  May  the  divine  blessing 
accompany  the  publication  of  this  volume,  with  all  its 
imperfections,  leading  all  its  readers  to  adore  that  grace 
which  wrought  so  wonderfully  in  fitting  him  whose 
character  it  delineates  to  perform  such  blessed  service 
in  the  church  of  the  living  God. 

J.  C.  S. 

Providence,  E.  I.,  March  1,  1871. 

The  Memoir  of  Dr.  Stow,  has,  for  some  time,  been  out  of  print. 
This  new,  ilhistrated  edition,  is  commended  to  the  kind  regards  of  all 
who  revere  the  memory  of  a  servant  of  Christ,  who,  though  dead, 
continues  to  live  in  the  results  of  the  work  he  did,  and  in  the  trains 
of  holy  influences  he  set  in  motion,  which  remain  to  this  day,  and 

will  remain  for  years  to  come. 

J.  C.  S. 
Pkovidence,  R.  L,  January  15,  1894. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

Parentage.  —  Baron  Steuben.  —  Youthful  Development.  — 
Conversion.  —  Death  of  his  Father.  —  Correspondence 
with  Alonzo  King.  —  Enters  Columbian  College.  —  Remi- 
niscences BY  Rev.  E.  Hutchinson 13 


CHAPTER    II. 

Columbian  College.  —  College  Lite. —  Journal.  —  Preaching 
Tour  into  Virginia.  —  Return  to  his   Studies.  —  Journal.     27 


CHAPTER    III. 

Visit  to  New  Hampshire.  —  Last  Year  in  College.  —  Recep- 
tion of  General  Lafayette.  —  Journal 40 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Anxieties  about  the  Future.  —  Graduation.  —  Editor  of  the 
Columbian  Star.  —  Life  in  Washington.  —  Marriage.  — 
Resiiniscences  by  President  Caswell 49 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    V. 

Calls  to  settle  in  the  Ministry.  —  Accepts  the  Invitation 
TO  Portsmouth,  N.  H.  —  Ordination.  —  Journal.  —  Calls 
TO  Salem,  Mass.,  and  Waterville,  Me.  —  Urgent  Appeals 
from  President  Chaplin 59 


CHAPTER   VI. 

Last  Year  in  Portsmouth.  —  Invitations  to  remove  to  dif- 
ferent Places.  —  Journal.  —  Call  to  Baldwin  Place 
Church,  Boston.  —  Letters  from  Rev.  J.  D.  Knowles  and 
Dr.  Sharp.  —  Dr.  Lamson  on  Dr.  Stow's  Ministry  in 
Portsmouth 75 


CHAPTER    VII. 

Sketch  of  the  History  of  the  Baldwin  Place  Church.  — 
Personal  Reminiscences. — Installation.  —  Success  in  his 
Work.  —  Journal 87 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Elected  Secretary  op  the  Triennial  Convention.  —  De- 
clines. —  Journal.  —  Correspondence.  —  Letter  to  the 
Baldwin  Place  Church.  —  Journal 99 


CHAPTER    IX. 

The  earnest  ^yoRKER.  —  Longings  for  a  Revival.  —  A  use- 
ful Sermon.  —  The  great  Revival  of  1838.  —  Gathering 
in  the  Harvest.  —  Missionary  Discourse.  —  Death  op  Pro- 
FESSOK  Knowles Ill 


CONTENTS.  y 

CHAPTER    X. 

Hi^ACTiox.  —  Letter  to  Deacox  S.  Beal.  —  Physician  pre- 
scribes Rest.  —  Continded  Labou.  —  Colony  sent  to  Bow- 
DOiN  Square.  —  Effect  on  his  Mind.  —  Trip  to  Europe 
PROPOSED.  —  Embarkation.  —  Correspondence.  —  Journal.    .   128 

CHAPTER    XI. 

Improved  Health.  —  Letter  to  the  Baldwin  Place  Church. 

—  Naples-  —  Rome.  —  Northern  Italy 150 

CHAPTER    XII. 

Crossing  Mont  Cenis. — Geneva.  —  London.  —  Visit  to  Bar- 
ley Wood.  —  Embarkation  for  Boston.  —  Home  again.  — 
Called  again  to  the  Presidency  of  Waterville  Col- 
lege. —  Elected   Secretary  of  the  Triennial  Convention. 

—  Revival  of  1842.  —  Its  Results.  —  Physical  Prostration.  163 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

Correspondence  betwekn  1836  and  1815 183 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

Call  to  the  Presidency  of  Granville  College,  Ohio.  — 
Discouragements  at  Baldwin  Place.  —  Call  to  the  Ninth 
Street  Church,  Cincinnati Advice  of  Dr.  Sharp. — Let- 
ter OF  Rev.  John  Stevens. — Embarrassments  of  the  For- 
eign Mission  Board.  —  Correspondence 197 

CHAPTER    XV. 

.V    BUSY"     MINISTERIAL     LlFE.  AnXIETY    WITH    REFERENCE    TO     HIS 

Church.  —  Journal.  —  Resignation 215 


10  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

Reminiscences  of  Baldwin  Place  Church.  —  Cobrespond- 
ENCE.  —  Call  to  the  Pierrepont  Street  Church,  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.  —  Call  to  the  Roave  Street  Church,  Boston. 
—  Acceptance  of  the  latter  Call. — Journal 225 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

Chalmers's  Memoir.  —  Inner  Life.  —  A  Harvest  Year.  -^  The 
Spiritual  Physician.  —  Record  of  twenty-five  Years.  — 
Death  of  Dr.  Sharp.  —  "First  Things."  —  Call  to  Brook- 
line.  —  Letter  to  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Mis- 
sionary Union.  —  Record  of  the  Year 2t3 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

Correspondence.  —  Fourth  Invitation  to  the  Presidency  of 
a  College.  —  Journal.  —  Death  of  Edward  D.  Chamber- 
LiN.  —  "  Christian  Brotherhood."  —  Second  Voyage  to  Eu- 
rope.—  Journal  while  abroad.  —  Home  again 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

Reminiscences  by  Dr.  Child.  — Letters  from  Europe.  —  Cor- 
respondence  273 

CHAPTER    XX. 

Ministerial  Work  recommenced.  —  Discouragements.  —  Rem- 
iniscences of  Anniversary  Periods.  —  The  Dark  Days  of 
the  War.  —  Conflicts  of  Feeling.  —  A  happy  Surprise. — 
Journal. —  Criticisms  on  Robertsoi^,  Bowles,  and  Hugo.  — 
Views  on  "Evangelism."  —  Ravages   of  Death. — Review.  30] 


CONTENTS.  11 

CHAPTER    XXI. 

Called  to  an  Account.  —  Corkespondence.  —  Resignation  of 
THE  Pastorate  of  Rowe  Street  Church.  —  Call  to  Alton, 
Illinois. — Letter  of  Advice  from  Ministering  Brethren. 
—  Decision  to  remain  in  Boston.  —  Correspondence.    .    .    .  313 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

Connection  with  the  Watchman  and  Reflector.  —  His  last 
Article,  "  Calvinism  a  Power."  —  Sickness  and  Death. 
—  Funeral.  —  Letters  from  President  M.  B.  Anderson, 
De.  W.  Dean,  Dr.  R.  Fuller,  and  Dr.  B.  Sears 335 


'i  111 


MEMOIR  OF  lUl{Oi\  STOW,  D.D. 


CIIAPTETt    I. 


Parentagk.  —  Baron  Steuben.  —  Youthful  Development.  —  Con- 
version. —  Death  of  his  Father.  —  Correspondence  with 
Alonzo  King.  —  Enters  Columbian  College.  —  Reminiscences 
BY  Rev.  E.  Hutchinson. 

1801-1822. 

The  subject  of  this  Memoir  was  bom  at  Croydon,  N.  H., 
June  16,  1801.  His  father,  Peter  Stow,  was  born  in  Graf- 
ton, Mass.,  June  21, 1771,  and  his  mother,  Deborah  Nettleton, 
in  Killingworth,  Ct.,  February  11,  1775. 

The  family  of  which  Peter  Stow  was  a  member  were  i^io- 
neers  in  a  new  settlement,  and  their  occupation  that  of  farm- 
ing. Having  an  eager  desire  to  acquire  knowledge,  he  availed 
himself  of  such  books  as  he  could  obtain,  and  improved  all 
leisure  hours  in  study.  The  only  periodical  then  taken  in  the 
town  was  one  small  weekly  j^aper.  At  an  early  age  he  com- 
menced teaching,  and  for  several  successive  years  devoted  the 
winter  season  to  that  employment. 

When  twenty-one  years  of  age,  Peter  Stow  became  a  sub- 
ject of  renewing  grace,  and  united  with  the  Baptist  church, 
where,  until  death,  he  maintained  a  consistent  Christian  char- 
acter, and  was  prominent  as  a  faithful  member  and  officer, 
winning  the  confidence  and  resjiect  of  all  who  knew^  him. 
The  town  honored  him  with  the  office  of  first  selectman  for 
many  years  in  succession.     He  was  also  representative  to  the 

13 


14  MEMOIK    OF    DR.    STOAV. 

legislature.  "  The  poor,"  says  his  son,  "  found  in  hiui  a  ready 
benefactor,  the  rich  a  welcome  visitor,  the  afflicted  a  sympa- 
thizing companion  and  counsellor.  As  a  husband  he  was 
kind,  affectionate,  appreciative ;  as  a  father,  strictly  exem- 
plary, judiciously  indulgent,  implanting  in  the  hearts  of  his 
children  an  abiding  impression  that  the  homage  and  respect 
divinely  inculcated  were  preeminently  due  to  such  parents  as 
God  had  given  them." 

Peter  Stow  seems  to  have  cherished  an  admiration  for  the 
memory  of  Baron  Steuben,  so  well  known  as  a  Prussian  officer, 
who  came  to  this  country  iii  1778,  and  distinguished  himself 
in  our  revolutionary  war.  He  had  resigned  the  high  offices  of 
government  which  he  held  at  home,  and,  by  the  persuasion  of 
Count  de  St.  Germain,  French  minister  of  war,  and  of  other 
gentlemen  connected  with  the  French  cabinet,  with  whom  the 
baron  had  come  in  contact  wliile  in  Paris,  he  came  to  this 
country  at  the  age  of  forty-eight,  "  a  soldier  of  fortune,"  says 
Irving,  "  to  the  rude  fighting-grounds  of  America,  to  aid  a 
half-disciplined  people  in  their  struggle  for  liberty."  It  is 
easy  to  conceive  that  the  advent  of  such  a  distinguished 
military  officer,  once  the  aide-de-camp  of  the  great  Frederic 
himself,  landing  on  our  shores  at  a  time  when  our  affairs  were 
in  their  most  desperate  condition,  must  have  formed  a  theme 
of  conversation,  not  only  in  the  larger  circles  of  city  life,  but 
in  the  rural  homes  of  the  dwellers  in  the  villages  and  hamlets 
of  the  land.  Peter  Stow  was  a  boy  of  nearly  seven  years  of 
age  when  this  event  took  place.  For  several  years  the  baron 
was  identified  with  the  fortunes  of  his  adopted  country,  and 
his  career  was  undoubtedly  watched  with  deep  interest  in 
every  section  of  the  land.  We  find  that  as  late  as  1789  he 
was  present  at  the  inauguration  of  President  Washington. 
It  is  believed,  either  because  he  was  pleased  with  the  name, 
or  because  he  had  a  high  appreciation  of  his  services,  that 
Peter  Stow  called  his  first-born  son  Baron  Steuben  Stow. 
The  middle  name  was  subsequently  dropped,  and  this  son 
was  known  as  Baron  Stow. 

We  have  been  able  to  glean  but  few  facts  concerning  his 


YOUTIIFUr.    DKVEI.OPMKXT.  15 

early  days.  In  cliiMIiood  there  began  very  soon  to  be  devel- 
oped traits  of  character  which  made  him  a  boy  of  mark.  He 
was  fond  of  study,  and  was  blessed  with  a  memory  so  reten- 
tive that  he  made  himself  master  of  whatever  he  intrusted 
to  that  important  faculty.  His  partial,  fond  friends,  observing 
the  progress  he  made,  were  wont  to  make  the  remark,  "That 
boy  is  destined  for  a  statesman  or  a  minister." 

Writers  of  biography  almost  always  see,  or  think  they  see, 
in  the  early  develoDmeuts  of  the  intellect  and  tastes  of  the 
subjects  of  their  sketches  the  sure  prognostics  of  their  coming 
greatness.  We  read  that,  when  Chalmers  was  three  years 
old,  one  evening,  after  it  had  become  dark,  he  disappeared, 
and  search  being  made  for  him,  he  was  found  alone  in  the 
nursery,  "  pacing  up  an<l  down,  excited  and  absorbed,  repeat- 
ing to  himself,  as  he  walked  to  and  fro,  the  Avords  of  David, 
'  O,  my  son  Absalom  !  O,  Absalom,  my  son,  my  son  ! ' " 
Says  his  biographer,  Dr.  Hanna,  "  Almost  as  soon  as  he  could 
form  or  announce  a  purpose,  he  declared  that  he  would  be  a 
minister.  The  sister  of  one  of  his  school-fellows  at  Anstru- 
ther  still  remembers  breaking  in  upon  her  brother  and  him,  in 
a  room  to  which  they  had  retired  together,  and  finding  the 
future  great  orator  (then  a  very  little  boy)  standing  upon  a 
chair,  and  ju-eaching  most  vigorously  to  his  single  auditor  be- 
low. He  had  not  only  resolved  to  be  a  minister,  but  had 
fixed  upon  his  text — 'Let  brotherly  love  continue.'" 

In  like  manner,  we  are  told,  the  youthful  Baron  began  "  to 
exercise  his  gifts,"  as  our  fathers  used  to  say,  and  that,  even 
at  the  early  age  of  five  years,  he  showed  what  was  the  bent 
of  his  inclinations.  Not  far  from  the  house  of  his  father,  by 
the  road-side,  there  was  a  boulder  of  considerable  size,  which 
was  called  "  the  pulpit."  Ascending  "  the  pulpit,"  the  boy- 
preacher,  having  called  around  him  an  audience  of  his  play- 
mates, would  act  the  sacred  orator,  exhibiting  a  gift  of  elocu- 
tion and  a  command  of  language  which  made  him  quite  the 
admiration  of  his  listeners. 

When  he  was  eight  years  of  age  his  fiither  moved  from 
Croyden  to  the  adjoining  town  of  Nevvport,  where  he  had 


l(j  MEirOIU    OF    DR.    STOW. 

purchased  a  farm.  Here  the  hid  attended  the  district  school. 
We  judge  that  he  was  a  boy  of  dehcate  organization,  not  for 
ward  in  the  sports  of  his  schoolmates,  but  more  disposed  to 
study  than  to  play.  Apt  to  learn,  and  passionately  eager, 
like  his  father,  to  acquire  knowledge,  his  progress  in  his 
studies  was  rapid,  and  he  invariably  took  the  highest  rank  in 
his  class,  easily  keeping  the  position  which  he  gained.  So  in- 
f-atiable  was  his  thirst  for  reading,  that  at  the  age  of  fourteen  he 
had  read  every  volume  in  the  town  library.  A  boy  of  so  pre- 
cocious intellect  could  not  fail  to  make  for  himself  a  warm 
place  in  the  heart  of  his  proud,  loving  father.  With  tender 
solicitude  he  watched  the  unfoldings  of  his  mind,  and  resolved, 
if  it  was  in  his  power,  that  his  son  should  enjoy  all  the  advan- 
tages of  a  liberal  course  of  study.  But  he  was  a  farmer,  and 
a  farmer  among  the  cold  hills  of  New  Hampshire,  where  the 
most  earnest  and  untiring  efforts  are  necessary  to  secure  often- 
times no  more  than  the  ordinary  comforts  of  life.  Tlie  labors 
of  his  son,  now  reaching  an  age  when  greater  physical  strength 
was  developed,  were  demanded  to  assist  him  in  carrying  on 
his  farm.  And  yet,  as  the  obedient,  respectful  child,  who  would 
not  thwart  the  wishes  of  his  parent,  toiled  by  his  side,  there 
would,  ever  and  anon,  rise  a  mental  vision  of  the  future  career 
wliich  might  be  his  boy's,  if  he  were  prepared,  by  study  and 
discipline,  to  enter  upon  it.  In  the  intervals  of  i-est  from  the 
labors  of  the  farm,  books  were  the  recreation  of  the  lad,  and 
he  was  never  happier  than  when  poring  over  the  pages  of 
some  favorite  author. 

A  dark,  sad  day  was  it  Avhen  death  entered  that  quiet 
rural  home,  and,  when  Baron  was  fifteen  years  old,  removed- 
from  him  his  best  earthly  friend,  the  proud,  happy  fathei-,  ?rho 
liad  laid  out  so  many  plans  for  the  future  welfare  of  liis  son. 
At  a  single  stroke  the  hope  of  obtaining  an  education  seemed 
to  be  overthrown.  As  the  eldest  son  in  a  family,  now  con- 
sisting of  a  widowed  mother  and  five  children,  grave  respon- 
siljilities  immediately  came  upon  him.  The  means  for  obtain- 
ing a  support  for  these  dependent  ones  must  come  from  the 
farm.     With  a  pang  of  regret  more  bitter  than  can  be  de- 


Ills    EAKLY    CONVERSION.  17 

scribed,  the  fatherless  boy,  abandoning  the  idea  of  getting  an 
education,  at  least  for  the  present,  turned  his  attention  to  the 
])aternal  patrimony,  which  had  been  bequeathed  to  liim.  He 
resolved,  with  his  characteristic  ardor,  that  he  would  sjjare  no 
jiains  to  secure  the  means  of  support  for  the  family,  which 
now  looked  up  to  him  as  their  natural  protector  and  friend. 
At  once  he  began  to  lay  his  plans  for  improving  the  firm,  or 
rather,  for  carrying  out  those  commenced  by  his  father.  Al- 
th.augh  he  gave  himself  most  conscientiously  to  this  work,  the 
old  aspirations  would  be  aroused  in  his  soul.  The  love  of 
knowledge  could  not  be  sujipressed.  As  opportunity  pre- 
sented, he  would  return  to  his  beloved  books,  determined  to 
supply  the  want  of  a  more  public  education  by  his  persistent 
efforts  for  self-culture.  The  work  of  the  firm  engrossed  his 
attention  during  the  summer;  but  the  greater  leisure  of  the 
winter  months  afforded  him  an  opportunity  to  avail  himself 
of  the  privileges,  of  the  district  school.  At  length  he  has  so 
far  mastered  the  studies  to  which  he  has  applied  himself,  that 
we  find  him,  in  the  autumn  of  1818,  when  not  eighteen  years 
of  age,  engaged  himself  in  teaching  a  country  school. 

Not  far  from  this  time  there  was  an  interesting  revival  of 
religion  in  NcM'port,  and  among  its  earliest  subjects  was 
young  Stow.  Without  giving  a  minute  detail  of  the  circum- 
stances of  an  event  transcending  in  importance  any  other  that 
was  to  occur  in  his  history,  it  is  enough  to  say  that  his  con- 
victions of  sin  were  deep  and  thorough,  and  his  view  of  sal- 
vation through  a  crucified  Saviour  clear  and  satisfactory. 
As  might  be  well  supposed,  from  our  knowledge  of  the  sin- 
cerity of  his  views,  he  did  not  long  delay  in  making  a  public 
profession  of  religion.  On  the  last  day  of  December,  1818, 
in  comjDany  with  fifteen  happy  converts,  he  was  baptized  by 
Rev.  Leland  Howard,  of  Windsor,  Vt.,  and  united  with  the 
church  in  Newport. 

The  new  impulse  which  was  thus  given  to  his  whole  nature 

made  him  pant  more  than  ever  to  go  forward  in  the  work  of 

training  his  faculties,  that  he  might  bring  to  the  Redeemer, 

who  had  so  largely  blessed  his  soul,  the  best  gift  which  he 

2 


18  MEMOIR    OP    DR.    STOW. 

coxilcl  lay  upon  his  altar  —  a  cultivated  intellect,  along  with  a 
regenerate  heart.  Who  can  describe  the  conflict  which  was 
carried  on  in  that  sensitive  soul  between  the  claims  of  filial 
affection  and  duty  to  his  widowed  mother  on  the  one  hand, 
and  what,  on  the  other  hand,  seemed  to  him  a  call  of  God, 
coinciding  with  his  own  inclinations,  to  enter  upon  the  work 
of  preparation  to  preach  the  gospel?  The  struggle  was  at 
last  ended.  The  heart  of  a  loving  mother  yearned  over  him, 
whom,  though  recognized  by  her  as  her  son  by  natural  birth, 
she  had  come  to  regard  in  a  higher  and  holier  sense,  as  a  "  son 
of  the  Lord  God  Almighty."  Interposing  no  objection,  but 
rather  giving  him  her  maternal  benediction,  she  sent  him  to 
Windsor,  Vt.,  where  he  put  himself  under  the  tuition  of  Rev. 
Mr.  Howard,  who  so  recently  had  baptized  him.  With  this 
Christian  brother,  who  proved  to  be  his  life-long  friend,  he 
remained  a  year. 

And  here  seems  the  proper  place  to  speak  of  one  of  those 
early  friendships  which  Baron  Stow  formed,  similar,  in  its 
warmth  and  sincerity,  to  many  others  which  he  fonued  in 
later  years.  Among  his  acquaintances  was  a  yoimg  man  of 
about  his  own  age.  In  many  respects  they  were  kindred 
spirits.  Both  had  that  delicate,  sensitive  organization  w'hich 
in  both  Avas  the  source  of  the  exquisite  enjoyment,  and,  we 
may  say,  of  the  keen  mental  suffering,  of  which  at  times  both 
were  alike  the  subjects  in  their  maturer  life.  Both  were 
refined  in  their  tastes  by  nature  and  by  cultivation.  Both 
had  fine  intellectual  abilities,  although  Mr.  Stow  always  gave 
the  precedence  to  his  friend  in  this  respect.  Circumstances,  evi- 
dently providential,  called  the  one  to  fill  a  more  prominent 
sphere  than  the  other  occuj^ied  ;  but  the  Boston  pastor  never 
ceased  to  look  up  to  his  friend,  who,  wasted  away  by  con- 
sumption, died  as  the  minister  of  what  was  then  a  humble 
church  of  a  quiet  village  in  the  interior  of  Massachusetts. 
The  friend  to  whom  I  refer  was  Alonzo  King,  the  gifted 
compiler  of  the  Memoirs  of  the  sainted  missionary  George 
Dana  Boardman. 

The  earliest  letter  which  I  find  in  the  mass  of  correspond- 


LETTER    TO    ALONZO    KING.  19 

ence  from  "which  I  shall  have  occasion  to  draw,  was  written 
by  Baron  Stow  to  his  friend  King.  It  bears  the  following 
date,  and  is  reproduced  just  as  it  Avas  written. 

Windsor,  May  11,  1819. 

Brother  King  :  Having  an  opportunity  to  convey  a  line  directly 
to  Cavendish,  I  will  devote  a  few  moments  in  writing  to  a  friend  wliom 
I  esteem  in  sincerity.  Through  the  mercy  of  God  we  are  all  alive  and 
in  good  health,  enjoying  unmerited  favors  and  privileges.  Brother  Ely 
and  myself  are  now  construing  in  the  New  Testament.  Brother  E.  says, 
"  We  are  prospering  marvellously"  (his  manner  of  speaking).  It  is  a 
very  pleasing  study,  rich  and  sweet.  The  English  appears  like  husks 
to  the  Greek.  God  is  still  the  Lord,  gracious  and  long-suffering.  Let 
us  proceed,  leaning  upon  tlie  arm  of  the  great  "  I  AM."  There  appears 
everything  to  discourage  me  wiien  I  look  upon  one  side  of  the  case; 
but  cast  these  behind,  like  Satan,  and  nothing  but  encouragements  ap- 
pear. So  I  am  changeable  as  the  wind ;  but  God's  will  be  done,  what- 
ever it  is. 

"  Pax  fratribus  et  caritas  cum  fide  a  Deo  Patre  et  Domino  Jesu 
Christo."  —  Paulus.  Vale. 

Baron  Stow. 

While  thus  pursuing  his  studies  at  Windsor,  Mr.  Stow  had 
no  prospect  of  obtaining  a  liberal  education.  His  plan  was, 
after  remaining  for  a  time  Avith  Mr.  Howard,  to  commence  at 
once  the  Avork  of  the  ministry.  ProA^dentially  meeting  with 
ReA'.  Dr.  Baldwin,  he  was  won  by  the  genial,  sympathetic 
manner  of  one  aa'Iio  ahvays  loA'ed  to  encourage  his  younger 
brethren,  and  disclosed  to  him  his  purposes,  and  solicited  his 
adAdce.  His  wise  counsellor  urged  him  not  to  stop  short  of  a 
collegiate  course  of  study,  and  prophetically  remarked,  "Per- 
haps you  AA^ll  some  day  fill  my  j^lace."  Nothing  is  easier 
than  to  giA^e  advice  and  to  tell  a  young  man,  struggling  to 
get  an  education,  to  go  forward,  and  yet,  to  point  out  no  AA-ay 
by  which,  for  years,  he  is  to  pay  his  bills,  seems  almost  a  cruel 
mockery.  The  good  j^eople  of  Ncaa'  Hampshire  used  to  say 
to  Dr.  BaldAA'in,  at  the  close  of  a  hard  Sabbath's  labor  in 
l)reaching,  "  Well,  Brother  Baldwin,  you  haA-e  been  very  kind 
to  come  among  us  to-day.  The  Lord  will  ncA-er  let  such  a 
good  man  as  you  are  want  for  anything."     All  Avhich  AA^ae 


20  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOAY. 

veiy  pleasant,  but  it  would  not  fill  up  the  flour  barrel,  nor 
keep  the  wolf  from  the  door.  Happily,  in  giving  bis  advice 
to  his  good  friend,  Dr.  Baldwin  was  able  to  point  out  a  way 
by  which  he  might  defray  his  expenses.  His  mind  set  at 
rest  on  this  jjoint,  he  went  forward  in  the  work  of  preparation 
for  college. 

The  correspondence  with  his  friend  Iving,  in  the  mean  while, 
is  ke])t  up.  It  exhibits  the  warmth  of  his  religious  feelings, 
and  shows  how  earnestly  his  heart  is  being  enlisted  in  what 
is  to  be  the  great  work  of  his  life  —  the  j^reaching  of  the 
gospel. 

Windsor,  Monday  Evening,  December  13,  1819. 

Dear  Brother  King  :  "  As  I  was  musing,  the  fire  burned."  My 
unstable  imagination,  wandering  up  and  down  the  earth,  at  last  fixed 
itself  upon  my  little  circle  of  friends  in  Newport,  and  there  fastened, 
immovable.  I  fancied  Brothers  F.  and  King  surrounded  by  those  who 
can  speak  of  the  dying  love  of  Jesus,  while  I  myself,  a  poor,  despised 
creature,  am  in  Windsor,  grovelling  in  the  midst  of  a  valley  of  drj',  dry 
bones,  surrounded  for  six  hours  in  the  daj'  with  about  thirty  or  forty 
souls,  who  are  bound  up  in  sin  and  slumbering  in  carnality.  But, 
thank  Heaven,  I  find  the  same  God  here  as  there,  and  I  think,  for  a  few 
days  past,  I  have  found  him  precious  to  my  soul,  through  the  merits  of 
his  Son.  O,  what  a  blessed  Jesus  is  brouglit  to  light  in  the  gospel !  For 
the  first  three  evenings  after  I  began  my  school,  I  studied  my  Latin 
Grammar;  but  since  that  I  have  laid  it  aside  for  the  precious  volume 
of  truth.  It  is  a  dry  study  now.  Six  evenings  out  of  the  seven  has  the 
"  midnight  oil  "  been  consumed  in  my  lamp.  One  evening  I  was  at  Mr. 
Howard's  at  a  prayer  meeting.  O,  blessed  employment,  to  pray  to  God  ! 
I  am  now  boarding  at  a  place  where  little  or  nothing  is  said  about 
lieaven  or  divine  things ;  therefore  I  have  no  company  but  my  God  and 
my  Bible.     Perhaps  you  think  me  enthusiastic,  but 

"  Sweet  is  my  frame. 
And  I'll  bless  Jesus'  name; 
Though  men  scoff  and  jeer, 
Yet  men  1  don't  fear." 

Yesterday  I  went  to  meeting  with  such  feelings  as  my  soul  never 
felt  before.  Joy,  peace,  and  consolation  filled  my  heart.  I  could  not 
forbear  relating  my  exercises  to  others.  But  how  was  I  surimsed  to  see 
Mr.  Howard  introduce  a  Boanerges  into  the  pulpit !  'Twas  Leland,  the 
judge.  He  prayed.  The  moral  heavens  appeared  opened,  and  the 
Spirit  descended.     He  preached  :  "  They  that  trust  in  the  Lord  shall  be 


COKRESPONDENCE.  21 

as  Mount  Zion,"  &c.  Silence  and  solemnity  pervaded  the  assembly. 
In  the  evening  he  preached  to  a  great  number,  Psalms  Ixii.  5  :  "  My  soul, 
wait  thou  only  on  God,  for  my  expectation  is  from  him."  My  soul  was 
fed  with  the  finest  of  the  wheat,  and  with  honey  out  of  the  rock  was  I 
satisfied.  How  fleeting  and  transitory  are  all  earthly  enjoyments  I  Alas, 
how  often  have  I  forsaken  the  substance,  and  snatched  the  wind !  How 
often  have  I  broken  the  commandment,  "  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  God 
before  mn  ;  "  and  again,  "  Love  not  the  world,  nor  the  things  that  are  in 
the  world."  I  liave  found,  by  sad  experience,  that  "  if  any  man  love  the 
world,  the  love  of  the  Father  is  not  in  him."  O,  can  I  ever  reach 
heaven?  Yes,  "  The  blood  of  Jesus  is  free,  and  cleanseth  from  all  sin." 
Trust  in  the  Lord,  then,  O  my  soul,  and  take  his  yoke  upon  you.  Learn 
of  Jesus,  who  is  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  and  rest,  unceasing  rest,  shall 
be  your  portion,  while  ages  shall  roll  on  ages,  and  time  be  lost  in  the 
vast  ocean  of  eternity.     Vale. 

Yours  in  Christ  our  Lord, 

B.  Stow. 

Passing  over  tlie  next  year  or  two,  during  which  he  was 
occupied  with  his  prej^aratory  studies,  we  find  hiiu  acknowl- 
edging the  receipt  of  another  letter  from  his  ever-constant 
friend.  From  this  letter  we  form  an  idea  of  the  vast 
changes  which  have  taken  place  during  the  past  fifty 
years  in  the  facilities  of  travel.  At  that  period  how  fir 
distant  from  their  homes  did  those  seem  to  be,  who  had 
gone  a  few  hundred  miles !  Waterville  College  had  been 
but  recently  founded,  and  Mr.  King  was  among  its  first  stu- 
dents. From  the  mountain  home  of  his  friend  Stow,  it 
seemed  as  if  he  had  departed  to  some  far-off  region  of  the 
earth. 

Newport,  N.  H.,  March  17,  1821. 

My  Dear  Brother  : 

"  What  pain  unusual  thrilled  my  heart, 
Wiien  you  and  I  were  called  to  part, 

Perhaps  no  more  to  join 
In  praising  God  within  the  doors, 
Till  passed  beyond  these  mortal  shores 

To  kneel  before  his  shrine." 

I  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  )-our  friendly  letter,  which  arrived 
here  in  twenty  days  after  it  was  written.  It  was  more  than  was  ex- 
pected, K.  It  was  a  fiivor  which  I  could  not  deem  myself  worthy  from 
your  hands,  or  any  friend  situated  at  such  a  distance.     The  letter  was 


22  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

mailed  at  Rochester,  N.  H.,  so  that  you  may  well  think  I  was  aston- 
ished, upon  breaking  the  seal,  to  discover  the  name  of  my  beloved 
brother  Alonzo.  I  was  somewhat  disappointed  to  find  that  you  had  not 
written  tlie  particulars  of  your  journey  and  voyage,  as  also  your  situa- 
tion at  Waterville,  and  the  studies  you  were  pursuing.  But  I  have 
since,  in  a  degree,  been  informed  with  respect  to  your  passage  and  safe 
arrival  at  your  destined  residence.  As  I  think  my  desires  and  enjoy- 
ments are,  in  a  degree,  bound  up  in  your  joys  and  prosperity,  I  am 
sorry  to  find  that  you  did  not  feel  that  contentment  and  satisfaction  you 
would  wish.  I  am  not  able  to  sympathize  with  you,  having  never  passed 
through  the  scene  of  forsaking  parents  .and  friends  to  traverse  unknown 
lands,  a  stranger  to  every  mortal  creature,  and  depending  on  the  charity 
of  others  for  maintenance.  Yes,  I  feel  for  you,  and  endeavor  to  remem- 
ber you  in  my  feeble  petitions  at  the  throne  of  grace,  that  you  may  be 
supported  in  your  situation,  enjoy  the  comforts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  that 
God  would  smile  upon  your  labors  to  obtain  both  human  and  divine 
science,  and  in  all  things  your  trust  may  be  in  God  alone.  O  that  I 
could  visit  you,  whether  it  be  in  your  study,  in  the  house  of  God,  or  in 
the  gloomy  wilderness !  I  would  unbosom  to  you,  with  satisfaction,  a 
series  of  joys  and  sorrows,  through  which  I  have  passed  since  the  sor- 
rowful evening  of  your  departure,  I  taught  school  the  winter  past  in 
Unity,  near  Brother  Gilman's.  Had  a  pleasant  season.  The  Lord  lias 
graciously  wrought  wonders  in  that  place  a  few  months  past.  Several 
have  been  baptized,  and  others  cherish  a  hope  of  eternal  life.  In 
Claremont  truly  the  work  of  the  Lord  is  powerful.  Brother  Kimball, 
from  Marblehead,  Mass.,  is  preaching  there  to  the  Baptist  church. 

After  alluding  to  several  other  places  in  which  there  are 
revivals,  he  adds, — 

That  happy  scene  is  drawing  nigh,  when 

"  Jesus  shall  reign  where'er  the  sun 
Does  his  successive  journeys  run." 

0,  may  it  be  hastened,  and  we  be  prepared ! 

Unworthily  yours,  B.  Stow. 

The  next  communication  is  written  in  a  sad  strain.  Some 
of  its  gloom  is  doubtless  attributable  to  a  morbid  state  of 
mind,  brought  on  by  excessive  application  to  study.  As  we 
shall  have  occasion  to  see,  all  through  life,  Mr.  Stow  was  sub- 
ject to  these  fits  of  depression  and  self-depreciation.  Persons 
of  his  peculiar  temperament  rarely  escaj^e  them. 


COKRESPONDEXCE.  tl'S 

Newport,  N.  H.,  April  30,  1821. 
Beloved  Brother  :  I  received  your  interesting  favor  of  March  28, 
on  Friday  last.  Though  I  did  not  endure  much  trouble,  fearing  you 
liad  forgotten  or  possessed  a  disposition  to  neglect  me  in  the  least,  yet 
I  was  apprehensive  my  letter  might  bo  mislaid,  or  have  gone  to  tlie 
President  of  the  United  States,  or  in  some  other  improper  direction. 
Truly  I  was  higldy  gratified,  on  seeing  the  mail  opened,  to  find  another 
communication  from  friend  A.  K.  I  perused  its  exhilarating  contents 
V  ith  a  cheerful  iieart.  I  had  been  confined  to  my  room  for  several 
days  by  indisposition  of  body,  but  your  cheering  language  and  mani- 
festations of  unalterable  sympatliy  gave  a  vigorous  spring  to  both  soul 
and  body,  and  almost  transferred  me  from  a  sick  bed  to  the  beloved 
society  in  Waterville,  and  to  the  embrace  of  an  absent  friend  and  broth- 
er. I  feel  to  endeavor  to  answer  your  epistle  so  far  as  my  weak  capaci- 
ties will  allow ;  but  never  expect  to  find  in  me  the  ability  to  express 
sucli  ecstatic  raptures  of  soul  as  flowed  from  your  pen.  The  friendship 
we  have  contracted,  I  trust,  is  inviolable;  but  truly  I  often  feel,  K.,  it 
has  not  on  my  part  "  Christ  for  its  foundation."  I  often  fear  a  separa- 
tion will  ere  long  take  place,  more  trying  and  sad  than  we  have  ever 
yet  experienced,  and  I  must  depart  to  the  left  hand  and  you  sit  at  tlie 
riglit  hand  of  our  offended  Judge  in  the  burning  day  !  Still  I  iiope  — 
but  how  dare  I  hope,  wliile  the  pride  and  arrogance  of  my  lieart  are  so 
great?  Am  I  doing  my  duty  in  thus  confining  the  powers  of  body  and 
soul  down  to  the  dead  languages  ?  But  I  hope  soon  to  be  released  from 
tlie  trammels  of  Cicero,  Graeca  Minora,  and  Sallust.  My  liealth  is  sueli 
that  I  often  think  tiie  Lord  never  intended  me  to  obtain  a  collegiate  educa- 
tion ;  and  alas,  how  many  poor  souls,  during  that  time,  will  go  down  to 
perdition !  But  should  I  find  prosperity,  I  shall  probably  enter  either 
Harvard  University,  or  Middlebury  College,  Vt.,  at  next  commence- 
ment. O,  pray  for  me,  that  I  may  be  humble  and  lead  an  exemplary 
life.  'Tis  a  joy  to  me  to  correspond  with  such  a  friend.  Cease  not  to 
counsel  me,  and  may  we  pray  for  each  other's  growth  and  prosperity 
in  time  and  eternitj^ 

Your  friend  indeed, 

B.  Stow. 

The  time  had  arrived  when  Mr.  Stow  must  decide  the  ques- 
tion, at  what  college  he  should  pursue  his  studies.  It  may 
be  interesting,  as  it  corresponds  with  the  experience  of  so 
many  other  young  men,  to  note  the  perplexity  into  which  he 
was  thrown  when  he  came  fairly  to  meet  the  question.  A 
letter  to  his  Waterville  friend  reveals  the  struggles  through 
which  he  passed  in  reaching  the  decision  to  which  finally  lie 


24  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

came.  "We  see  in  this  communication  tlie  ardor  of  Lis  feel- 
ings, and  his  earnest  desires  to  enter  uj^on  the  great  work  of 
preaching  the  gosj^el,  leading  him  to  doubt  whether  he  ought 
to  devote  so  much  precious  time  in  gaining  merely  secular 
knowledge. 

Newport  Academy,  August  9,  1821. 

Brother  A. :  Your  last  came  to  hand  safely  and  joj'fully.  I  had 
long  waited  with  impatience  for  an  answer  to  my  inquiries.  That  sub- 
ject has  greatly  agitated  my  mind  at  times,  and  almost  deprived  me  of 
rest.  I  find  it  of  great  moment  to  decide  upon  a  place  where  to  reside 
four  years.  And  my  anxieties  have  been  greatly  heightened  by  the 
obsequiousness  of  correspondents  at  different  literary  institutions.  I 
have  been  urged  by  some  to  enter  Yale  —  by  Brethren  Elliott  and  Rice 
at  Harvard  —  by  General  Forbes  and  others  in  Vermont,  at  Middle- 
bury,  Vt.  Visiting  Hanover  a  few  weeks  since,  I  was  beset  and 
thronged  with  arguments  in  favor  of  Dartmouth.  Some  even  venture 
to  recommend  Columbian  College,  at  Washington,  as  preferable  to  all. 
At  some  of  the  aforesaid  institutions,  expenses  are  so  high  as  will  pre- 
clude the  idea  of  my  pursuing  a  collegiate  course  with  them.  Others, 
not  so  respectable  either  in  moral  or  literary  character,  render  it  un- 
pleasing.  What  can  I  do  ?  Waterville  is  too  far  situated  from  friends 
and  home  to  attract  me  thither,  unless  advantages  far  exceed  other 
colleges.  My  mind  seems,  however,  to  settle  on  Middlebury,  Vt. 
as  I  have  received  some  charitable  offers  from  the  patrons  of  that  in- 
stitution. That  grows  extremely  in  respectability,  and  promises  fair  to 
excel  many  that  now  stand  high  in  the  esteem  of  many  literati.  Pro- 
fessor Patton  has  just  arrived  from  Europe,  whither  he  was  sent  to 
receive  his  education  on  purpose  for  the  professorial  office.  Board  is 
there  from  one  dollar  to  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  per  week, 
tuition  twenty  dollars  per  year,  and  room  rent  six  dollars.  If  Provi- 
dence will,  I  hope  to  enter  there  in  the  spring.  I  should  enter  this 
season,  but,  having  read  most  of  the  studies  of  the  first  quarter,  I  think 
to  teach  school  five  months  between  this  and  the  first  of  March,  Thank 
you  much  for  your  frankness  in  answering  my  inquiries. 
Affectionately  yours, 

B.  Slow. 

Notwithstanding  his  decision  to  enter  Middlebury  appeared 
to  be  final,  circumstances  seemed  providentially  to  point  to 
Columbian  College,  Washington.  His  health  was  delicate, 
and  it  was  thought  that  a  milder  climate  might  be  beneficial 
to  him.     It  is  evident  that  he  had  overworked  himself.     In 


KEMIXISCENCES.  25 

one  of  his  letters  he  speaks  of  havhig  suffered  from  a  severe 
attack  of  inflammation  in  the  head,  by  which  he  was  deprived 
of  his  reason  for  nearly  a  week,  and  confined  to  the  house  for 
almost  three  weeks.  Having  recovered  from  this  attack  he 
began,  with  earnestness,  to  consider  all  the  reasons  which 
were  to  govern  him  in  the  decision  of  the  question,  where 
he  should  spend  the  years  of  his  college  life.  He  concluded 
to  go  to  Washington.  He  became  a  member  of  Columbian 
College  in  September,  182'2. 

Perhaps  this  chapter  cannot  better  be  closed  than  by  pre- 
senting extracts  iVom  reminiscences  of  the  early  life  of  Mr. 
Stow,  furnished  by  one  of  his  warmest  friends.  Rev.  E.  Hutch- 
inson, of  Vermont. 

"  The  name  of  Baron  Stow  brings  up  most  precious  memo- 
ries, which  , extend  back  forty  and  fifty  years.  From  child- 
hood it  was  my  privilege  to  know  and  love  the  good  man 
who  bore  that  honored  name,  for  he  was  my  teacher,  pastor, 
and  life-long  friend.  His  first  effort  at  teaching  was  in  my 
father's  school  district,  in  the  year  1818.  There  he  began  to 
show  forth  those  great  powers  of  mind  which  so  remarkably 
distinguished  him  in  after  years.  His  accurate  scholarship, 
thorough  discipline,  and  wonderful  fiiculty  of  drawing  out  his 
pujjils  and  making  them  think  for  themseh'cs,  made  his  first 
teaching  a  sure  success.  During  that  winter  occurred  the 
great  event  of  his  life.  The  church  were  enjoying  one  of 
those  old-fashioned  revivals,  or  'reformations,' as  they  were 
called,  so  common  a  half  century  ago,  continuing  two  and 
three  years,  when  God's  people  could,  in  the  language  of  the 
old  patriarch,  '  stand  still  and  sec  the  salvation  of  God.' 
The  young  schoolmaster  felt  the  Spirit's  convicting  power, 
but  determined  to  resist  it.  At  length  the  eventful  evening 
came.  The  young  people  met  for  prayer  at  the  house  of  the 
pastor,  and  he  was  induced  to  attend,  resolving  to  close  his 
heart  against  all  influences  that  might  be  brought  to  bear 
upon  him.  The  house  Avas  crowded,  and  the  divine  Spirit 
was  there  in  mighty  power.  As  one  and  another  of  his 
associates  sjaoke,  he  trembled  and  resisted.     At  length  the 


26  MEMOIK    OF    DR.    STOW. 

pastor's  little  son  was  brouglit  from  his  dying  bed,  by  his  own 
earnest  request,  to  speak  to  his  young  friends  of  the  love  of 
Christ.  All  hearts  melted,  and  God  made  the  last  message 
of  tliat  dying  boy  the  means  of  salvation  to  Baron  Stow. 
He  at  once  raised  the  altar  of  prayer  in  his  school,  and  as 
that  young  man  bowed  for  the  first  time  in  j^rayer  with  his 
scholars,  many  of  whom  were  older  than  himself,  the  stoutest 
hearts  were  subdued,  and  the  majority  of  them  were  brought 
to  Christ.  He  immediately  became  an  active  worker  in  the 
revival,  and  was  soon  looked  upon  by  his  elder  brethren  as 
designed  of  God  for  the  Christian  ministry. 

"His  baptism,  which  occurred  soon  after,  was  beautifully  im- 
pressive, and  is  fresh  in  my  recollection.  It  was  midwinter. 
The  ice  was  cut  in  the  charming  Sugar  River^  and  the  great 
congregation  surrounded  the  place  of  burial ;  and  as  good 
Elder  Howard  buried  him  with  Christ  in  baptism,  and  raised 
him  from  the  Avatery  grave,  hundreds  of  voices  joined  in  sing- 
ing those  favorite  lines,  — 

"  Cliristians,  if  your  hearts  be  warm 
Ice  and  snow  can  do  no  harm ; 
If  by  Jesus  you  are  prized, 
Rise,  believe,  and  be  baptized." 


COLUMBIAN    COLLEGE.  27 


CHAPTER   II. 

CoLOMBiAx    College.  —  College     Life.  —  Journal.  —  Preacuino 
Tour  into  Virginia.  —  Return  to  his  Studies.  —  Journal. 

1822-1824. 

As  a  member  of  Columbian  College,  Mr.  Stow  at  once  was 
brought  in  contact  with  congenial  society.  The  change  from 
the  quiet  scenes  of  his  home  among  the  hills  of  New  Hamp- 
shire to  the  capital  of  the  country  must  have  been  very  great. 
He  was  now  almost  twenty  years  of  age.  He  had  learned  the 
lesson  of  self-reliance,  and  had  known  something  of  the  stvug- 
gles  and  discipline  through  which  a  young  man  passes,  who  is 
seeking,  with  few  resources,  to  obtain  an  education.  Thus  his 
character  was  in  a  good  degree  matured,  and  there  was  every 
reason  to  believe  that  he  would  derive  the  greatest  benelit 
from  the  course  of  study  upon  which  he  was  now  entering. 

Columbian  College  was  the  child  of  the  Baptist  Triennial 
Convention.  Professor  Gammell,  in  his  excellent  History 
of  American  Baptist  Missions,  says  that  "the  constitution 
of  the  new  society"  —  the  Triennial  Convention  —  "was 
framed  with  but  little  experience,  and  almost  without  the  aid 
of  models ;  yet  it  was,  perhaps,  Mell  suited  to  the  condition 
and  spirit  of  the  denomination  as  it  then  was  in  this  country. 
It  originally  contained  provisions  only  for  the  support  of 
foreign  missions,  but,  at  subsequent  meetings,  it  was  modified 
in  several  important  particulars,  and  made  to  include  both 
domestic  missions  and  the  establishment  of  '  a  classical  and 
theological  seminary '  for  the  education  of  young  men  espe- 
cially for  the  gospel  ministry.  The  introduction  of  this  latter 
object  into  the  organization  of  the  convention  had  its  origin 


28  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

in  the  deep  sense  of  the  importance  of  a  well-educated  min- 
istiy,  Avhich  at  that  time  pervaded  the  minds  of  the  fathers 
and  the  leading  men  of  the  denomination.  This  provision  of 
the  constitution  gave  rise  to  the  establishment  of  the  Colum- 
bian College  at  Washington,  D.  C,  an  institution  which  was 
managed  by  the  Triennial  Convention." 

The  first  president  of  the  new  institution  was  Rev.  Dr. 
Staughton,  who  was  elected  to  this  office,  and  entered  upon 
its  duties,  in  1821.  No  man  more  thoroughly  possessed  the 
confidence  of  the  denomination,  or  occu2:)ied  a  higher  rank  as 
an  eloquent  preacher  of  the  gospel.  The  influence  Avhich  Dr. 
Staughton  exerted  on  the  susceptible  mind  of  the  ardent, 
warm-hearted  young  man  who  had  come  under  his  supervis- 
ion, was  of  the  most  positive  and  permanent  character.  A 
prince  among  pulpit  orators,  he  left  the  impress  of  his  teach- 
ings and  his  example  on  the  whole  professional  life  of  his 
pupil.  Other  men  who  have  gained  a  reputation  in  the  de- 
nomination, who  were  connected  with  the  college  at  the 
period  of  which  we  are  Avriting,  were  Dr.  Irah  Cliace,  Dr. 
Alva  Woods,  Thomas  Sewell,  M.  D.,  Professor  William  Rug- 
gles,  and  President  A.  Caswell,  among  the  professors,  and 
Dr.  R.  Babcock,  Professor  J.  D.  Knowles,  Professor  T.  J. 
Conant,  and  Dr.  R,  E.  Pattison,  among  the  tutors.  Among 
the  classmates  of  Mr.  Stow  were  Dr.  R.  W.  Cushman,  Hon. 
Thomas  D.  Eliot,  and  Professor  James  Jones.  With  several 
of  these  gentlemen  Mr.  Stow's  relations,  during  his  whole 
life,  were  of  the  most  intimate  and  endearing  character. 

The  following  letter  to  his  old  friend  and  correspondent, 
Alonzo  King,  is  in  his  most  pleasant  vein,  and  happily  con- 
tiasts  with  the  somewhat  morbid  conimunication  found  in  the 
first  chapter.  It  gives  us  an  insight  into  his  college  life  and 
t'xperience  which  we  are  glad  to  find. 

Columbian  College,  D.  C.  March  1,  1823. 
Dear    Brother    King  :      Your  poetic  effusion  came   safe  to   hand 
January  10,  and  ever  since  I  liave  been  invoking  tlie  muse;   but  she  is 
as  contrary  as  a  yoked  pig.    She  ■will  not  be  compelled,  and  if  I  succeed 


IXSIGIIT    INTO    COLLEGE    LIFE.  29 

in  allowing  her  to  follow,  slio  hobbles  sadly,  and  tumbles  over  every 
stick  and  stone.  I  thought  of  Polyphemus  (I  don't  mean  Brother  CalebJ 
and  iEneas,  but  you  had  spent  all  the  force  of  epic  on  them,  and  I  dared 
not  approach  the  terrific  scene  of  the  eyeless,  long-legged  monster  chas- 
ing the  poor  tempest-beaten  Trojans  through  the  Sicilian  waves.  I 
thought  of  Nimrod,  and  Cain,  and  Titus ;  but  Lord  Byron  had  stolen 
them  away.  I  thought  of  Newport,  and  mused,  and  found  somewhat  to 
dedicate  to  Melpomene,  but  none  to  "Venus.  Juno,  the  goddess  of  mar- 
riage, and  Diana,  of  ,  claim   a  part.     'Twould  be  a  motley  mess. 

I  looked  around  on  the  groves,  the  hills,  the  great  river,  the  Capitol,  the 
shades  of  Mount  Vernon,  &c.,  &c.,  but  imbibed  not  one  poetic  feeling. 
And  rather  than  give  you  blank  verse,  or  rhyme  upon  stilts,  I  deter- 
mined to  answer  in  stiff,  old-fashioned  prose. 

Alonzo,  were  you  not  really  at  home  when  you  wrote  last?  I  was, 
when  I  had  read  your  letter.  O,  I  am  at  Newport  every  time  Somnus 
infuses  her  papaverous  influence,  and  more  than  once  in  a  week  do  I 
salute  mj"  dear  brethren  and  friends  in  the  land  I  have  left.  Home 
thrills  in  my  soul,  and  draws  forth  a  vain  sigh  for  its  comforts  and 
pleasures.  They  are  marrying  and  giving  in  marriage ;  some  removing 
to  other  lands,  others  to  "  the  land  of  silence  and  of  death."  A  variety 
of  feelings  possesses  my  soul  at  different  times.  Yes,  Baron  is  still  the 
same  old  variable  creature.  I  have  not  the  same  hypochondria  as  for- 
merly, though  often  low-spirited. 

My  duties  are  such  as  employ  every  moment  of  my  time,  and  leave 
no  leisure  for  moping  melancholy.  By  the  request  of  the  publishing 
committee  of  the  General  Convention,  I  have  undertaken  to  conduct 
the  Latter  Day  Luminary.  This  occupies  every  leisure  hour.  Dr. 
Staughton  has  just  closed  a  course  of  lectures  on  natural  history. 
These  were  very  interesting.  For  seven  weeks  we  have  been  per- 
mitted to  go  one  day  in  a  week  to  hear  the  debates  in  Congress,  and  the 
pleas  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  Many  of  these  have 
been  instructive  and  animating. 

This  letter  shows  us  what  he  seldom  reveals  to  us  —  the 
plaj^ul  side  of  his  character.  The  daily  duties  wliich  he  was 
called  to  perform,  and  the  pleasant  surroundings  of  his  new 
home,  had  their  influence  on  his  mind,  and  took  his  thoughts 
out  of  the  channel  in  -which  they  so  frequently  ran.  Some 
extracts  from  his  journal  reveal  his  inner  life,  "  the  life  hid 
with  Christ  in  God."  They  furnish  us,  moreover,  some  hints 
•which  fill  up  certain  gaps  in  his  history,  which  we  know  not 
how  otherwise  to  fill. 


30  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

June  16,  1823.  I  now  enter  upon  the  twenty-third  year  of  my  life. 
Twentj'-two  years  have  passed  rapidly,  and,  I  may  say,  unprofitably. 
Four  years  since  I  professed  to  know  the  Lord,  and  commenced  the 
liighly  responsible  and  sublime  work  of  preaching  salvation  to  sinners. 
One  year  ago  to-day  I  preached  in  Goshen,  N.  H.,  bade  adieu  to  friends 
in  Newport  Village,  previous  to  leaving  for  the  south.  It  was  a  trying 
scene.  May  it  never  be  repeated.  But  here  I  am  in  my  college  course, 
witli  many  intervals  of  pleasure ;  preaching  occasionally.  Kegligent  as 
ever  in  other  duties.  I  dare  not  resolve  again  to  devote  m3'self  wholly 
to  God's  service.  I  long  for  complete  holiness.  Gracious  Heaven, 
purify  and  increase  this  desire.  Humbly  may  I  ever  lie  at  my  Redeem- 
er's feet.  May  my  intellectual  improvement  be  great,  but  my  spiritual 
be  far  greater. 

June  21.  Walked  from  the  city  this  morning.  Attended  the  meet- 
ing of  the  society  for  missionary  inquiry.  Much  interested.  A  genial 
shower  fell  last  evening,  which  makes  all  nature  revive.  The  breezes 
are  truly  pleasant.  O  that  the  breath  of  Heaven  would  blow  upon  ray 
soul,  refreshing  my  thirsty  graces !  I  am  parched  in  a  land  of  spiritual 
drought. 

June  23.  Preached  yesterday  in  the  College  Chapel,  from  2  Cor. 
iv.  5,  with  enjoyment.  One  year  this  morning  I  sailed  out  of  Boston 
harbor  for  the  south.  At  this  hour  (midda}')  was  moving  very  pleas- 
antly down  the  Cape.  It  was  Sabbath.  What  were  my  feelings  !  What 
have  I  since  been  doing?  How  little  have  I  been  thankful  for  a  life 
preserved  from  the  dangers  of  both  sea  and  land. 

July  9.  Yesterday'  was  our  semi-annual  examination.  Succeeded 
as  well  as  I  expected.  My  class  (the  Sophomore)  was  thoroughly  ex- 
amined in  Horace,  Plato,  Xenophon's  Memorabilia,  Aristotle's  Philo- 
sophic works,  Blair,  and  Legendre's  Geometry.  In  Horace  I  was 
somewhat  lame ;  in  all  other  parts  was  well  prepared.  Twenty-six 
weeks  of  successive  toiling  at  books.  Now  the  respite  will  be  pleasant. 
I  expect  to  take  charge  of  the  Star,  a  paper  that  has  been  under  the 
direction  of  Brother  Knowles.  Engagements  to  preach  are  numerous. 
Heaven  grant  me  that  humility  and  zeal  for  God  which  shall  make  me 
truly  faithful.  May  I  ever  remember  that  great  examination  day  when 
God  shall  trj'  me. 

Jul}'  11.  Weather  exceedingly  warm.  My  mind  greatly  alienated 
from  divine  things.  Too  fond  of  other  books,  to  the  neglect  of  the 
Bible.  I  desire  more  conformity  to  God,  more  holiness,  and  more 
preparation  to  serve  him. 

July  18.  Lonely.  The  college  is  now  nearly  vacated;  two  tutors 
and  one  student  beside  myself  remain.  I  have  two  reasons  for  so 
doing  —  one,  that  I  may  have  full  leisure  to  attend  to  the  Star  and 
Luminary;  another,  to  keep  alive  our  Sunday  schools,   and  maintain 


JOURNAL.  31 

divine  service  on  the  Sabbath.  Retirement  is,  however,  profitable,  if 
rightly  improved.  I  have  health,  I  have  books  in  abundance  round  me. 
What  want  I  more?  Alone,  I  can  pray,  read,  and  meditate  at  any  hour. 
If  Christ  be  with  me,  how  can  I  be  melancholy  } 

July  20.  Air  cool  and  refreshing.  Genial  showers  liave  refreshed 
vegetation.  When  plants  are  parched  and  drooping  beneath  scorching 
beams,  how  delightful  to  see  the  rains  descend  from  heaven,  and  raise 
them  to  life  and  vigor!  So  the  Christian  rejoices,  when  travelling 
through  this  dry  and  barren  waste,  to  see  a  cloud  of  mercy  rise  .ind 
pour  down  the  divine  blessing  on  the  heritage  of  God. 

July  2G,  Saturday.  Busily  engaged  all  this  week.  The  Star  aad 
Luminary  employ  almost  my  whole  time;  nor  do  I  then  make  them 
appear  as  I  could  wish.  Here  I  learn  my  weakness  and  ignorance. 
Sometimes  I  am  tempted  to  think  I  am  "  somewhat,"  but  when  seated  to 
write  an  article  for  the  public,  then  I  feel  how  insignificant  I  am. 

August  2.  Time  closely  occupied  in  editing,  and  visiting  friends; 
little  time  for  reading  and  meditation.  Last  summer  vacation  I  studied 
languages,  preached  often,  and  attended  prayer  meetings.  This,  I. 
preacii  little  and  pray  less. 

August  3,  Sabbath.     Great  comfort  in  prayer. 

Saturday  evening,  August  IG.  Fatigued  and  overworked.  Con- 
template relief  next  week,  bj'  a  trip  into  Virginia  with  Brother  Cas- 
well. Embarrassed  in  my  pecuniary  affairs,  but  in  a  worse  condition 
of  soul.  I  preach  so  little,  and  so  seldom  engage  in  public  religious  ser- 
vices, that  I  am  growing  dull  and  formal ;  but  in  private  have  some  sweet 
seasons,  perusing  God's  word,  and  imploring  the  divine  blessing.  Such 
periods  are  my  greatest  comfort  and  joy.  The  smiles  of  a  Saviour's 
countenance,  how  lovely,  how  enrapturing!     "  God  is  love." 

Sabbath,  August  17.  Preached  in  the  Chapel,  from  Luke  xiii.  5  — 
an  unusually  pleasant  season.  To-morrow,  or  the  next  day,  set  off,  with 
Rev.  O.  B.  Brown  and  tutor  Caswell,  for  Virginia. 

These  extracts,  despite  the  self-depreciation  which  is  so 
often  expressed  in  them,  exhibit  the  subject  of  tliis  Memoir 
as  a  busy  man,  not  only  carrying  on  his  college  studies  with 
buch  success  as  to  keep  him  at  the  head  of  his  class,  but  edit- 
ing a  paper,  and  preaching  as  occasion  offered.  We  rejoice 
with  him  that  a  respite,  short,  indeed,  but  so  beneficial,  has 
come  from  his  long-protracted  labor,  and  that  his  energies  are 
to  be  recruited  amid  the  hospitable  homes  of  Old  Virginia. 
The  journal  continues,  — 

Tuesday,    August  26.     This  day  week  set    off  for  Virginia.     Pirst 


32  MEMOIR    OF    Dll.    STOW. 

night,  stopped  at  Mr.  Edmond's,  Alexandria  —  heard  Rev.  0.  B.  B. 
preach  in  the  eveni-ng.  Next  day,  went  to  Dumfries,  passing  Accatank 
Hun,  Fohick  Church,  Neabses  Bun,  Occoquan  Biver,  &c.,  in  Fairfax 
County,  into  Prince  William's  County.  Tarried  at  the  house  of  Cap- 
tain Fairfax,  in  Dumfries ;  heard  Bev.  Mr.  Bryce  preach.  Next  morn- 
ing, took  breakfast  with  Major  Toulson,  near  Chapawansick.  Arrived 
at  Rock  Hill,  Stafford  County,  at  eleven  A.  M.  Met  the  Columbia  As- 
sociation. Rev.  Bobert  Latham  preached  the  introductory  sermon,  from 
Gal.  vi.  14  (rank  Antinomian).  Tarried  with  Mr.  Tacket  two  nights, 
and  one  with  Colonel  Mason  ;  treated  with  true  hospitality.  Ten  ser- 
mons were  preached  at  the  stand  by  Brethren  Caswell,  tutor  in  Co- 
lumbian College,  D.  C,  from  John  xv.  24;  Bryce  of  Alexandria,  from 
1  Tim.  i.  15;  Raynolds,  of  Ninevaii,  from  John  i.  1;  James,  of  Fred- 
ericksburg, from  Col.  iii.  3;  Garnett,  from  the  Shiloh  Association, 
from  Matt.  xvi.  18;  O.  B.  Brown,  from  Washington,  text  Romans 
viii.  28;  Johnson,  of  Little  Falls,  Isa.  Iviii.  1;  B.  Stow,  Columbian  Col- 
lege, text  Ezek.  xxxiii.  11;  Joseph  Ballard,  Coluaibian  College,  2  Cor. 
V.  10;  H.  O.  Wyer,  Columbian  College,  Rom.  i.  15.  I  preached  Sunday, 
the  24th,  at  twelve  and  a  half  o'clock.  Immediately  set  out  on  my  return, 
in  company  with  Brother  Prettyman,  of  Alexandria  (Brother  Caswell  hav- 
ing left  the  day  before,  via  Harper's  Ferry).  Dined  at  Major  Toulson's  ; 
preached  at  candle-light  at  Dumfries;  staid  the  night  with  Brother  Fair- 
fax; next  day  dined  at  Alexandria  —  arrived  at  College  Hill  at  sunset, 
refreshed  in  body  and  mind.  The  roads  are  bad,  but  the  people  kindly 
affectionate. 

Many  years  after  this,  Dr.  Stow  wrote  a  sketch  of  this 
preaching  tour,  a  part  of  wliich  may  be  worthy  of  a  phice  here, 
as  ilkistrating  Virginia  hospitahty,  and  the  amusing  incidents 
to  which  it  somethnes  gave  rise. 

After  a  hard  and  almost  break-neck  ride  of  twelve  hours,  V3 
reached  Dumfries,  and,  as  introduced  by  Luther  Rice  to  one  of  his 
resting-places,  Ave  were  cordially  welcomed  for  the  night  by  Brother 
Fairfax.  He  had  already  received  a  large  number  bound  on  the  same 
errand.  He  liad  not  out  the  sign  of  country  inns  in  France  —  "  Loge 
pour  cheval  et  pied,"  where  horse  and  foot  lodged  under  the  same  roof, 
and  sometimes  in  the  same  apartment,  but  he  had  large  hospitality,  and 
that  night  it  was  exorbitantly  taxed.  An  appointment  for  preaching  had 
been  given  out,  and  we  all  went  t»  hear  a  "strange  brother  "  hold  forth. 
The  singing  was  congregational,  led  by  one  whom  we  knew,  and  who, 
with  abundant  power  of  lungs,  "  gave  out  the  lines,"  two  at  a  time. 

On  retiring  for  the  night,  the  ladies  occupied  all  the  beds,  and  the 


RETURX    TO    WASHINGTON".  33 

sixteen  gentlemen,  of  whom  ten  were  preachers,  camped  on  the  parlor 
floor.  The  men,  disposed  to  make  the  best  of  their  imperfect  accom- 
modations, were  rather  jocose,  and  indulged  in  story-telling  that  inter- 
fered with  slumber.  At  length,  by  general  agreement,  all  was  hushed, 
and  one  o'clock  found  the  most  of  us  beginning  to  sleep.  But  one 
old  gentleman  had  a  thought,  and  he  must  needs  violate  the  compact. 
So  he  called  out,  "  Brother  Grub,  Brother  Grub,  you  are  the  bestest 
man  to  give  out  a  hymn  that  I  ever  hearn."  This  was  too  laughable  to 
admit  of  rebuke  for  the  disturbance,  and  further  quiet  was  out  of  the 
question.  So  we  went  on  the  next  day  to  the  place  of  meeting,  hoping 
to  double  our  rest  the  following  night. 

The  absence  was  brief,  but  so  thorougli  a  change  from  the 
usual  course  of  his  every-day  life,  and  the  religious  work  in 
which  he  was  engaged,  greatly  "  refreshed  him  in  body  and 
mind,"  and  he  returned  to  Washington,  in  some  measure  pre- 
pared to  enter  with  fresh  zeal  upon  his  college  studies.  His 
journal  shows  that  he  was  not  idle  during  the  fcAV  days  that 
intervened  between  the  last  date  and  the  commencement  of 
a  new  term. 

August  29.  Reading  North  American  Review,  and  Johnson's  Lives 
of  the  Poets.  The  Bible  to-day  is  a  sealed  book.  For  several  days 
have  too  much  neglected  closet  devotion.  'Tis  impossible  for  me  to 
live  without  mrich  prayer.  My  conscience  smites  severely;  what  is 
worse,  my  soul  shrivels  and  becomes  barren. 

September  4.  Preached  last  Sabbath  eve  for  Rev.  O.  B.  Brown; 
text,  Luke  xiii.  3.  Endeavored,  with  as  much  seriousness  and  earnest- 
ness as  possible,  to  teach  my  hearers  the  nature  and  importance  of  true 
repentance.  Some  deny  the  obligation  of  sinners  to  repent,  consequent- 
ly the  propriety  of  preaching  the  doctrine.  Others  say,  if  repentance 
be  the  gift  of  God,  how  can  man  repent  ?  Others  think  they  need  no 
repentance;  and  indeed  it  is  far  easier  dealing  with  such  than  either  of 
the  other  classes.  Notwithstanding  all  these  hindrances,  I  am  com- 
missioned to  preach  the  word  to  all  men  indiscriminately.  I  hope  to  do 
it  with  affection  and  fidelity,  whether  men  will  hear  or  forbear. 

Although  ]\[r.  Stow  entered  college  in  1822,  he  was  so 
well  prepared,  and  had  applied  himself  so  diligently  to 
the  prescribed  course  of  study,  that  he  soon  passed  into 
the  Sophomore  class,  and  was  a  Junior  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  new  year,  1823-24.  He  begins  the  year  in 
3 


34  MEMOIR   OF    DR.    STOW. 

a  happy  frame  of  mind,  and  takes  up  bis  college  work  with 
his  wonted  ardor  and  determination  to  excel.  Those  great 
alternations  of  feeling,  which,  all  through  life,  were  so  marked 
a  feature  of  his  character,  are  ever  showing  themseh'es,  both 
in  his  letters  and  in  his  journal.  Much  of  his  depression,  as 
in  the  case  of  that  eminent  servant  of  Christ,  whom,  in  many 
res])ects,  he  so  much  resembled.  Rev.  Dr.  Payson,  of  Portland, 
Maine,  must  be  attributed  to  his  peculiarly  sensitive  organiza- 
tion, and  is  to  be  set  down  to  the  account  of  hard  intellectual 
work  and  the  exhaustion  of  nerve  power.  He  was  consti- 
tutionally prone,  at  times,  to  look  on  the  dark  side  of  things. 
All  his  ideals  were  of  the  loftiest  kind,  and  it  pained  him  that 
he  fell  so  far  short  of  reaching  them.  No  man  could  dwell 
with  more  pathos  on  the  riches  of  the  divine  mercy,  or  more 
glowingly  set  forth  the  blessed  truth  that  where  "  sin  abound- 
ed, grace  doth  much  more  abound."  In  tei-ms  of  exultation, 
when  addressing  others,  he  could  assure  the  downcast  and 
the  disconsolate,  that  "  like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children,  so 
the  Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear  him.  For  he  knoweth  our 
frame,  he  remembereth  that  we  are  dust."  But  the  sweet 
jjromises  which  he  could  always  apply  so  successfully  to 
others,  he  could  not  always  claim  for  himself.  Was  he  singu- 
lar in  this  respect  ? 

September  13.  Have  entered  again  upon  my  college  studies. 
Health  greatly  improved,  spirits  buoyant ;  my  principal  embarrassments 
are  in  pecuniary  affairs.  Among  such  friends  as  I  have  here,  however, 
I  fear  neither  starvation  nor  nakedness.  Four  years  and  a  half  I  have 
been  well  supplied  by  a  good  Providence  —  still  trusting  him.  Here 
again  I  wish  to  renew  the  solemn  vows  I  have  made  to  my  Maker.  O 
God,  I  would  glorify  thee.  Keep  worldly  ambition  (that  cursed  thing) 
far  from  mc.  May  I  lay  all  my  talents  and  all  my  attainments  at  Jesus' 
blessed  feet.  May  this  desire  inspire  me  to  improve  every  moment  to 
tlie  best  advantage. 

SeptJmbar  21.  Bilious  fevers  are  now  very  prevalent.  My  tem- 
perament is  rather  pulmonary  than  bilious  ;  a  slight  cold  often  irritates 
my  lungs,  and  produces  fever,  which,  in  several  instances,  has  well  nigh 
terminated  in  consumption.  About  ten  years  ago  this  season,  my  dear 
father,  who  was  then  at  Concord  as  representative  for  his  native  town, 
took  a  severe  cold,  —  not  more  severe  than  my  own  at  the  present  time,  — 


.lOUKNAL.  35 

which,  three  years  after,  terminated  his  life  by  a  complication  of  dis- 
eases. Perhaps  my  days  are  destined  to  be  ended  by  a  similar  process. 
With  me,  it  is  all  the  same.     I  pray  Jesus  to  accept  me. 

September  22.  Letters  from  dear  friends  in  Newport.  My  dear 
cousin  AVilliani  Heath  was,  I  learn,  buried  in  baptism  on  Sunday, 
the  7th. 

October  6.  Yesterday  heard  Dr.  Staughton  preach  two  excellent 
sermons,  A.  M.,  at  the  chapel;  text,  Matt.  xv.  28,  in  which  he  con- 
sidered, 1.  Suppliant;  2.  Solicitation;  3.  Embai'rassments  met  by  sup- 
pliant ;  4.  Success.  The  discourse  was  simple  and  plain,  but  melting. 
Speaker's  sensibilities  were  greatly  moved,  as  were  those  of  tlie  assem- 
blj".  The  evening  text  was  Job  xl.  9.  His  eloquence  is  frequently  too 
powerful  for  me.  It  often  gives  me  pain  by  exciting  my  feelings  too 
liigh.     If  I  covet  anything,  it  is  his  preaching  gifts. 

October  10.  Reading  Memoirs  of  Fuller.  Much  interested  in  the 
peculiar  character  of  the  man.  The  biography  discloses  very  little 
of  the  private  character  of  Mr.  F.  It  presents  the  journal  of  the  good 
man's  soul,  represents  him  as  a  worthy  pattern  of  devotion  and  en- 
lightened zeal  —  preaching,  writing,  travelling,  and  collecting  for  the 
mission  at  Serampore. 

October  15.  To-day  finished  Memoirs  of  Fuller.  lie  was  a  man 
of  prayer.  His  was  a  life  of  devotion  and  toil,  and  now  in  heaven  he 
meets  the  reward  of  his  labors.     Let  me  imitate  such  good  examples. 

November  10.  Different  Protestant  congregations  assembled  with 
the  Sabbatli  schools  in  Georgetown,  when  a  large  assembly  was  ad- 
dressed on  the  importance  of  giving  to  youth  religious  instructions. 
Rev.  Mr.  Mcllvaine,  Episcopal,  spoke  first,  in  a  very  eloquent,  impres- 
sive manner,  followed  by  Rev.  Mr.  Mines,  Presbyterian,  of  Leesburg, 
Va.jRev.  Charles  Davies,  Methodist,  of  Baltimore,  Rev.  Dr.  Staughton, 
Baptist,  of  this  college.  A  collection  of  thirty-eight  dollars  was  taken 
for  the  benefit  of  the  schools. 

November  20.  Thanksgiving  day  in  some  of  the  New  England 
States.  How  many  have  this  day  assembled,  in  obedience  to  the  re- 
quest of  their  rulers,  to  praise  and  adore  God  !  My  heart  is  with  them. 
May  the  practice  of  my  forefathers  be  long  perpetuated. 

November  21.  The  anniversary  of  my  father's  death.  My  thoughts 
fly  homeward.  Does  not  my  dear  mother  think  of  that  hour  when  she 
was  stripped  of  her  companion?  Is  not  this  a  solemn  day  to  her?  God 
has  been  her  comforter;  in  him  may  she  ever  trust. 

December  6.  Called  to  mourn  the  loss  of  Professor  E.  B.  Craven, 
professor  in  botany.  His  aged  parents  are  bereaved  of  an  only  son, 
and  science  mourns  the  premature  loss  of  one  of  its  brightest  lights. 

Saturday  evening,  December   13.     Unusually  busied,  arranging  for 


86  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

semi-annual  examination  on  Monday.  After  that,  we  look  for  rest  to 
body  and  mind,  a  while. 

Tuesday,  December  IG.  The  confusion  is  over.  I  had  apart  original 
—  "The  effect  of  certain  causes  on  the  development  of  genius."  Though 
not  well,  I  was  enabled  to  perform  my  part  easier  and  better,  I  hope, 
than  I  anticipated.  •  May  I  watch  and  pray  against  every  vain  thought, 
making  all,  improvements  subservient  and  subsidiary  to  the  cause  of 
"  Him  who  has  redeemed  me."  If  I  improve  in  the  powers  of  reason- 
ing, writing,  or  eloquence,  may  my  sole  object  be  to  use  my  acquire- 
ments in  the  great  life  work  of  persuading  men  to  believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus. 

Thursday.  Last  evening  attended  a  levee  at  Dr.  Staughton's,  where 
were  the  Faculty,  some  of  the  trustees,  and  the  young  gentlemen  who 
exhibited  the  day  before,  entertained  in  the  politest  manner. 

December  25.  To  multitudes  this  is  a  day  of  feasting ;  some  there 
are,  doubtless,  who  feel  the  kindling  of  devotion,  sincerely  thankful  to 
God  for  the  gift  of  our  Saviour  I  would  at  all  times  be  devoaonal, 
and  remember  that  for  me  "  the  babe  was  born  in  Bethlehem." 

Monday,  December  29.  Engaged  to-day  in  writing  an  address  to  the 
students,  on  the  subject  of  the  "  Struggle  of  the  Greeks  to  obtain  their 
liberty."  Much  is  now  doing  in  the  United  States  for  their  relief;  stu- 
dents in  particular  are  urged  to  show  their  patriotism  by  contributions. 
My  zeal  and  enthusiasm  in  this  cause  reproach  me,  for  tliey  rarely  are 
so  deeply  engaged  in  pleading  for  the  cause  of  my  beloved  Lord. 

January  2d,  1824.  Yesterday  attended  the  president's  levee.  The 
crowd  of  people  was  immense,  all  anxious  to  pay  their  respects  to  the 
chief  magistrate  of  the  nation.  The  company,  moreover,  was  very  re- 
spectable, all  the  proceedings  were  conducted  with  propriety  and  deco- 
rum. The  president  appeared  to  great  advantage,  welcoming  all  who  ap- 
proached him  with  great  ease  and  familiarity.  His  cabinet  were  all  pres- 
ent except  Mr.  Crawford.  General  Jackson  was  one  of  tiie  company. 
He  is  very  easy  and  polished  in  his  manners.  There  were  considerable 
show  and  display,  but  much  less  than  I  anticipated.  The  thouglit  struck 
me,  How  readily  do  men  do  homage  to  an  earthly  ruler !  but  when  the 
Prince  of  Peace  claims  their  attention  and  respect,  they  obstinately  re- 
fuse him  altogether. 

January  IG.  College  re-opened.  Attended  Congress  to-day,  and  heard 
Henry  Clay,  of  Kentucky,  on  roads  and  canals.  He  was  powerfully  el- 
oquent. 

Saturday  evening,  January  17.  Addressed  the  students  in  College 
chapel,  on  the  "Greek  Revolution."  Arrangements  were  made  for  aid- 
ing them  by  contributions. 

Friday  noon,  February  6.     Attended  United  States  Supreme  Court. 


JOURXAL.  37 

Heard  Mr.  Oakley  of  New  York,  plead  the  right  of  his  state  to  monopo- 
lize its  waters,  and  grant  to  individuals  the  exclusive  right  of  navigat- 
ing tliese  waters,  as  it  had  done  in  the  ease  of  Livingstone  and  Fulton 
with  tiieir  steamboats.  Mr.  Webster  spoke  for  the  plaintiff  (Mr.  Gib- 
bons) the  da}'  before.  Mr.  Oakley  is  counsel  for  the  defendant  (Mr. 
Ogden). 

February  11.  Five  years  ago  to-daj',  commenced  my  studies,  prepar- 
atory to  tlie  great  work  before  me,  with  Brother  Howard,  at  Windsor,  Vt. 
Wliat  has  been  my  improvement?  How  have  I  advanced  in  holiness  and 
zeal  for  the  Lord  of  Hosts  ?  In  many  respects  I  fear  I  am  more  sinful 
than  at  that  period  when  I  left  my  parental  roof  to  prepare  to  act  my 
pait  on  "  the  world's  wide  stage."  I  have  just  commenced  to  make  im- 
provement. I  hope  yet  to  make  gradual  and  profitable  advances.  The 
kindness  of  my  heavenly  Fatlier  has  exceeded  my  most  earnest  petitions. 
I  feel  this  evening  a  glow  of  love  to  my  blessed  Redeemer  for  his  excel- 
lency and  loving-kindness.  I  feel  disposed  to  unite  with  etherial  worship- 
pers, honoring  him  as  "  God  over  all,  blessed  forevermore."     Amen. 

Sunday,  February  15. 

'•  Woloome,  sweot  day  of  rest, 
That  saw  the  Lord  ariso."  ' 

The  brethren  students  have  a  prayer  meeting  every  Sabbath  morning,  at 
nine  o'clock,  to  invoke  the  blessing  of  God  on  the  services  in  the  chapel. 
In  these  meetings  I  have  more  real  enjoyment  than  in  all  the  preaching 
through  the  day.  I  delight  to  hear  the  truths  of  tlie  Bible  explained  and 
enforced  upon  the  conscience  ;  but  this  is  not  communion  with  God;  'tis 
more  tlie  work  of  the  understanding;  prayer  is  the  feeling  of  the  heart- 
conversation  with  a  kind  indulgent  Parent.  My  closet  is  too  much  neg- 
lected; I  do  not  derive  a  tithe  of  the  blessings  from  it  I  might.  My 
mental  enjoyment  through  the  day  is  generally  in  proportion  to  the 
degree  of  devotional  feeling  in  the  morning. 

February  19.  Engaged  ia  intense  study  —  Paley's  Theology,  and 
Lacroix's  Analytic  Geometry.  My  health  is  now  so  good  that  study  is 
botli  easy  and  pleasurable. 

February  20.  Heard  Mr.  C.  J.  IngersoU  in  the  Supreme  Court, 
General  .Tackson  in  the  Senate,  and  Mr.  Trimble,  of  Kentucky,  in  the 
House.  Wrote  a  comnmnication  this  evening  for  the  Columbian  Star, 
recommending  a  Baptist  Tract  Society,  first  suggested  by  Brother 
Samuel  Cornelius,  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Norfolk. 

Wednesday,  February  25.  Attended  the  formation  of  the  Baptist 
Tract  Society.  A  constitution  was  adopted  and  the  following  officers 
chosen:  Rev.  O.  B.  Brown,  President;  Rev.  Joim  Bryce,  Vice-Pres- 
ident; JNIr.  George  Wood,  Agent;  Rev.  Luther  Rice,  Treasurer;  Mr. 
Isaac  G.   Hutton,   Secretary.     Directors,  Rev.   Dr.   Staughton,  James 


38  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

D.  Knowles,  Joseph  Shaw,  Joseph  Gibson,  E.  Reynolds.  xVnnual  Meet- 
ing, last  Wednesday  in  February. 

Sabbath  evening,  February  29.  This  morning  heard  Mr.  Mcllvaine. 
of  Georgetown,  preach  a  most  powerful  sermon,  from  Matt.  xxv.  46. 
He  is   the  most  evangelical,  faithful  Episcopal  preacher  I  ever  heard. 

March  5.  Reading  Griscom's  Year  in  Europe.  Many  of  his  moral 
reflections  are  very  judicious,  and  show  he  has  a  philanthropic  heart. 
lie  deplores  most  heartily  the  causes  and  effects  of  our  war. 

Sabbath,  March  21.  The  past  week,  have  been  very  busily  engaged 
in  my  studies  and  the  concerns  of  the  Seminary.  I  feel  quite  unfit 
for  the  devotions  of  the  holy  Sabbath.  Read  several  chapters  in  Isaiah 
this  morning.  He  is  that  prophet  that  said,  in  reply  to  the  interrogations 
of  the  Almighty,  "  Here  am  I ;  send  me."      May  I  feel  the  same  spirit. 

Tuesday,  March  23.  Attended  a  reception  given  by  Professor  James 
Staughton  at  his  father's  for  the  tutors,  Mr.  Rice,  and  tlie  two  high- 
est classes  in  college.  Professor  Sewall  gave  a  similar  one  last  Friday 
evening.  At  both  of  these  companies  I  was  pleased  with  seeing  the 
great  propriety  of  conduct  manifested  by  all  present  —  cheerful,  but  none 
vain  or  trifling.  Our  president  is  remarkable  for  a  vast  fund  of  anec- 
dotes and  instructive  stories,  as  well  as  for  ease  of  communication.  He 
interests  a  company,  while  he  amuses,  he  does  not  fail  to  instruct  them. 

Sabbath  evening,  March  28.  This  evening  have  attended  a  prayer 
meeting  in  college,  at  which  there  was  more  than  usual  animation. 
Eight  brethren  prayed,  besides  other  appropriate  exercises,  in  one  hour. 
Such  meetings  afford  a  relief  from  the  tedium  of  dry  abstract  studies, 
giving  a  tone  to  my  mind  during  several  days.  I  do  not  consider  time 
wasted,  though  three  or  four  times  a  week  1  turn  aside,  with  my  dear 
brethren,  to  call  for  God's  blessing  upon  my  fellow-students,  as  well  as 
the  whole  family  of  man.     Shall  /ever  be  fit  for  a  missionarj-? 

April  4.  Yesterdaj-  (Saturday)  set  off  for  a  trip  on  foot  with 
Brother  Ballard.  At  half  past  two  P.  M.  we  arrived  at  Montgomery 
Court  House,  fifteen  miles  distant.  Tarried  two  or  three  hours.  Re- 
turning, reached  Washington  at  nine  in  the  evening  —  a  comfortable 
walk:  of  thirty  miles. 

April  13.  Attended  an  adjourned  meeting  of  the  "  Sunday  School 
Union  of  the  District  of  Columbia."  Had  the  honor  of  being  elected 
vice-president  of  that  body  for  the  Baptist  denomination  in  the  Dis- 
trict. The  report  from  the  schools  was  highly  interesting  and  encour- 
aging. 

April  22.  Been  reading  "  Cowper's  Private  Correspondence," 
edited  by  his  kinsman  John  Johnson,  LL.  D.  They  are,  as  a  whole, 
the  best  examples  of  easy  familiar  letter  writing  that  I  have  seen.  His 
afflictions,  arising  from  severe  nervous  affections,  and  consequent  de- 


A    BUSY    LIFE.  89 

pressioii  of  mind,  very  strongly  remind  me  of  my  own  troubles.  A  good 
man,  and,  doubtless,  a  real  Christian,  but  for  many  years  his  mind  was 
clouded  witii  melancholy. 

May  19.  Preached  last  Sabbath  for  Mr.  Brown,  in  the  city.  Text 
Gal.  iv.  15,  first  clause.  My  principal  object  in  preaching  from  tliis 
text  was  to  point  out  some  of  the  causes  of  the  alarming  declension  of 
religion  in  this  place.  To  me  the  season  was  solemn  and  affecting;  the 
effect  upon  others  I  know  not.  The  subject  opened  upon  me  in  a  m;in- 
ner  almost  surprising,  filling  my  soul  and  mouth  with  arguments  of 
which  I  had  not  before  thouglit.  God  was  with  me  of  a  truth,  and  the 
favor  demands  my  gratitude.  The  religion  of  my  Redeemer  has,  for 
eight  or  ten  days,  seemed  more  precious  and  divine  than  ever. 

The  extracts  thus  given  cover  tlie  academic  year  of  study. 
We  seem  to  be  with  the  busy  college  student.  He  is  not  a 
monkish  recluse,  bitt  finds  time  to  gather  improvement  not 
only  from  books,  but  from  intercourse  with  others,  from  attend- 
ance on  the  debates  in  Congress,  and  from  the  displays  of 
forensic  eloquence  Avhich  he  witnessed  in  the  rooms  of  the 
United  States  Court,  holding  its  sessions  in  Washington. 
He  is  brought  in  contact  with  j^ublic  men,  and  acquires  that 
urbanity  and  polish  of  manners  which  marked  him  through  life 
as  the  true  Christian  gentleman.  Although  but  a  junior  in  col- 
lege, he  is  honored  by  being  elected  vice-president  of  the  Sun- 
day School  Union  of  the  District  of  Columbia.  It  is  evident 
that,  even  at  this  comparatively  early  period  in  his  life,  he  is 
becoming  known  and  respected  as  a  man  of  marked  ability, 
and  destined,  if  God  spares  his  life,  to  exert  an  imjiortant  part 
in  the  promotion  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom. 


40  MEMOIR    OF   DR.    STOW. 


CHAPTER    III. 

Visit  to  New  Hampshire.  —  Last  Year  in  College.  —  Eeceptioh 
OF  General  Lafayette.  —  Journal. 

1824-1825. 

The  hard  intellectual  work  of  the  academic  year  having 
been  accomplished,  the  lieart  of  the  toiler  in  the  fields  of 
knowledge  turns  with  longing  towards  his  eastern  home.  It 
is  interesting,  as  throwing  light  on  the  modes  and  speed  of 
locomotion  in  those  days,  to  trace  his  progress  from  day  to 
day,  as  he  travelled  towards  his  New  Hampshire  home. 

June  4,  Newport,  N.  H.  Tlirough  the  kindness  of  a  merciful  Prov- 
idence have  arrived  safely  at  my  mother's  house.  Left  Washington 
the  27th,  with  Dr.  Sewall  and  family.  Reached  Baltimore  at  four  in 
the  evening.  Left  for  Philadelphia  at  five,  arriving  there  at  ten  o'clock 
the  next  day.  Called  on  Deacon  Bradley,  and  visited  Poale's  Museum. 
Reached  Trenton,  N.  J.,  the  next  day  at  four,  where  we  took  stage  for 
New  Brunswick,  there  remaining  over  night.  On  Saturday  morning 
we  set  out  in  the  steamboat  for  New  York,  arriving  at  ten  and  a  half. 
Called  on  Rev.  Mr.  Sommers,  Mrs.  Talmadge,  and  Mrs.  Cauldwell. 
At  three  P.  M.  left  New  York  in  steamboat  Fulton,  for  Providence, 
R.  I.,  which  place  we  reached  Sunday  evening  at  five  o'clock.  Made 
no  tarry,  but  rode  half  way  up  to  Boston,  which  city  we  entered  the  next 
morning  at  nine.  Called  on  several  friends.  Met  with  Brother  Alonzo 
King,  from  Waterville,  Brotiier  George  D.  Boardman,  from  Andover, 
Brother  Going,  from  Worcester,  and  Brother  Boswell,  from  Middle- 
town,  Conn.  Monday  night  spent  with  Rev.  Mr.  Elliott,  of  Roxbury. 
Tuesday  night  staid  with  Dr.  Baldwin,  and  the  next  morning  took  the 
stage  for  home.  Stopped  on  the  way  one  day.  My  health  is  consider- 
ably improved  now.  I  desire  to  be  very  grateful  to  my  heavenly 
Father  for  his  protecting  kindness. 

Monday  morning,  June  7.  Preached  yesterday  afternoon  for  Mr. 
person,  in  tlie  First  Baptist  Church;  text,  Isa.  Ixv.  17.     A  pleasant  sea- 


JOURNAL.  41 

son.  INIuch  satisfaction  in  meeting  my  friends,  wlio  all  greet  me  with 
cordiality.  I  hope  tO"  be  able,  wiiile  here,  to  keep  myself  unspotted 
from  the  reigning  follies  and  vices ;  to  exhibit  the  example  of  a  sincere, 
warm  Christian. 

June  14.  Just  returned  from  Windsor.  Heard  two  excellent  dis- 
courses from  Mr.  Elton  [the  late  Rev.  Dr.  Elton].  Some  changes 
have  taken  place.  Mr.  Howard's  absence  almost  destroys  the  pleasure 
of  a  visit  to  W. 

June  IG.  Another  birthday.  As  has  been  customary,  I  would 
make  some  reflections  if  I  had  any  worth  the  record.  It  is  difficult  to 
realize  that  twenty-three  years  have  passed  over  my  head.  I  see  but 
little  improvement  in  the  past.  May  the  next  year  witness  much 
more. 

June  26.  Perhaps  no  person  sympathizes  with  the  seasons  more 
than  myself.  My  animal  feelings  are  greatly  aflTected  by  the  weather. 
When  clear  and  serene,  my  mind  is  free  and  spirits  buoyant.  If  cloudy 
and  damp,  my  spirits  are  low. 

July  12.  Yesterday  preached  for  Mr.  Person,  from  the  words  of 
Moses  to  Israel  concerning  Joshua — Deut.  i.  38,  ■' Encourage  him." 
My  object  was  to  point  out  the  duty  of  a  church  to  a  pastor.  My  mind 
was  tolerably  clear,  and  I  enjoyed  a  good  season,  though  under  the 
necessity  of  preaching  some  truths  which,  I  apprehend,  were  unpalatable. 
Nevertheless  I  was  strengtliened  and  enabled  to  declare  what  I  conceive 
to  be  scriptural  truth.  I  like  to  feel  an  independence  where  I  have  no 
comjjromise  to  make,  no  favors  to  solicit,  but,  without  any  obstruction, 
can  come  forward  and  plainly  publish  the  "  whole  counsel  of  God.'' 

July  24.  A  fine  rain.  Have  been  working  three  days  with  the 
haymakers.  ]My  health  would  be  far  better  were  I  to  labor  on  a  farm. 
Had  I  not  the  conviction  that  another  course  of  life  is  real  duty,  I  should 
certainly  of  choice  return  to  the  farm.  But  my  Maker  and  Redeemer 
lias  other  work  for  me  to  do,  and  to  his  service  my  powers  of  body  and 
mind  are  humbly  consecrated.  I  have  no  wish  to  forsake  the  work 
assigned  me  by  the  Bishop  of  souls. 

Saturday  evening,  August  21.  This  week  Wednesday  attended  the 
Commencement  at  Dartmouth.  Hardly  equal  to  what  I  expected.  Met 
several  friends,  among  them  Mr.  J.  P.  Skinner,  with  whom  I  returned 
tf)  Windsor  to  say  good  by  to  friends  there.  Returning  to  Newport 
with  my  friend  E.  L.  S.,  who  is  on  her  way  to  school  at  Concord,  N.  H. 

Thus  in  pleasant  social  intercourse  with  his  friends  and  in 
active  out-door  exercise,  he  passed  his  vacation,  and  with 
renewed  strength  returned  to  his  college  duties.  It  is  his 
l:ist  year  in  a  spot  which  has  become  very  dear  to  him.     it 


42  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

may  be  questioned  if  it  is  wise  for  students  generally  to  at- 
tempt to  do  so  much  work  outside  the  dOurse  of  study  pre- 
scribed by  the  regulations  of  the  college.  His  was  evidently 
an  exceptional  case.  His  mind  had  been  so  well  disciplined, 
that  he  carried  along  with  ease  his  usual  studies.  The  con- 
scientiousness which  was  so  marked  a  feature  of  his  cliaracter 
would  not  allow  him  to  neglect  any  known  duty.  If,  tliere- 
fore,  we  find  him  making  addresses  on  a  subject  which  has 
already  awakened  his  warmest  symj^athy,  —  the  subject  of 
foreign  missions,  —  if  he  does  the  work  of  an  editor,  if  he  de- 
livers an  oration  on  the  fourth  of  July,  and  preaches  as  oc- 
casion offers,  we  may  be  sure  that  he  does  none  of  these 
things  at  the  expense  of  any  other  claims  which  light  fully 
demand  his  attention.  The  account  which  he  gives  of  tlie 
reception  of  General  Lafayette,  in  Washington,  is  very 
graphic,  and  cannot  fail  to  interest  the  reader.  As  usual, 
he  mingles  moral  reflections  with  his  descriptions. 

September  2,  1824.  (College  Hill,  D.  C.)  To  leave  my  beloved 
mother,  brotiiers,  and  sisters  was  severely  painful ;  but  I  cheerfully 
committed  them  into  the  hands  of  our  lieavenly  Father,  who  has  hitiier- 
to  protected  them  and  me.  Also  feel  heartiU'  grateful  to  a  kind  Provi- 
dence which  has  preserved  me,  restored  my  health,  and  safely  returned 
me  to  engage  in  the  duties  of  collegiate  life. 

September  4.  "  Thoughts  of  home  rush  on  my  excited  nerves." 
My  kind  mother  deserves  all  the  affection  and  attention  I  can  bestow. 
Never  could  I  desire  more  affection  than  has  been  demonstrated  the 
past  summer.  I  love  them  all  —  may  I  never  love  them  less.  My  late 
visit  has  greatly  endeared  to  me  my  home  and  New  England. 

September  7.  Attended  monthly  concert  for  prayer  at  St.  Jolm's, 
in  the  city.     Addressed  the  congregation  on  the  subject  of  missions. 

■ gave  a  brief  narrative   of  the   labors   and  success   of  the  London 

Society's  missionaries  in  the  South  Seas.  In  relation  to  that  interesting 
mission,  it  may  triumphantly  be  said,  "  What  hath  God  wrought?  " 

Monday,  September  27.  Fifteen  years  ago  to-day  my  father  re- 
moved his  family  from  Croyden  to  Newport  —  well  do  I  recollect  the 
day,  with  many  of  its  occurrences.  During  my  late  visit  to  New  Hamp- 
shire, I  visited  the  old  place  where  I  was  born  and  received  the  first 
rudiments  of  my  education,  which  I  am  now  endeavoring  to  mature  and 
make  profitable  to  myself  and  others.     If  I  mistake  not,  ray  desire  to  be 


JOURNAL.  43 

useful  increases.  I  feel  more  anxious  to  render  some  service  to  the 
cause  of  Christianity.     I  need  grace  and  humility. 

Tuesday,  October  12.  Mingled  with  the  crowd  of  thousands  to-day 
in  welcoming  our  distinguished  guest  and  national  benefactor,  General 
Lafayette,  recently  from  France.  An  attempt  to  make  a  great  show, 
and  an  almost  total  failure.  Tlie  general  arrived  about  one  P.  M.,  when 
he  was  received  under  the  tent  of  General  Washington.  Tlie  mayor  of 
the  city  oead  an  address  to  him,  to  which  he  replied  extempore.  Here 
were  a  confused  mass  of  black  and  wliite  huddled  together  in  Capitol 
Square.  After  a  salute  of  twenty-four  guns,  awkwardly  fired,  the  pro- 
cession of  ill-appearing  military  marched  through  clouds  of  dust  from 
the  Capitol  to  the  president's  house,  where  he  was  received  by  Mr. 
Monroe ;  then  passed  on  to  Gadsby's  Hotel.  There  was  nothing  grand 
or  magnificent  in  the  display,  tliough  an  attempt  at  both.  It  pains  me 
to  see  my  fellow-citizens  departing  so  rapidly  from  republican  sim- 
plicity. If  I  mistake  not,  the  general  will  despise  many  of  the  pro- 
ceedings in  Washington. 

November  21.  Professor  Chase  arrived  in  the  city  yesterday,  after 
fifteen  months'  absence  in  Europe.  Good  man.  I  rejoice  at  his  return. 
His  counsel  and  example  are  much  needed  among  us. 

Sabbath,  November  28.  Heard  this  morning  Rev.  Eustace  Carey 
preach  an  excellent  discourse  from  Heb.  xiii.  12-14.  Just  arrived 
from  Calcutta,  where  he  has  for  many  years  been  a  devoted,  laborious 
missionary  (English  Baptist).  He  is  a  nephew  of  the  learned,  pious 
William  Carey,  D.  D.,  of  Serampore.  An  aff'ectionate  mildness  and  soft- 
ness characterized  his  wliole  manner,  but  in  faithfulness  did  he  preach 
the  pure,  humiliating  doctrines  of  the  cross.  Seldom  have  I  heard  a 
richer  discourse. 

December  3.  Just  finished  my  oration  for  Commencement.  As  the 
graduating  class  is  small,  only  three,  —  J.  D.  Knowles,  Alexander 
Ewell,  and  Albert  Fairfax,  —  the  faculty  have  been  pleased  to  appoint,  to 
take  part  in  the  exercises,  two  from  the  Junior  class,  Tliomas  1).  Eliot 
and  myself,  and  two  from  the  Sophon)ore  class,  John  Boulware  and  John 
W.  James.  This  is  the  first  Commencement  of  Columbian  College.  We 
hope  neither  to  disgrace  ourselves  nor  the  institution,  rather  so  to  suc- 
ceed as  to  honor  both.  In  all  things  may  I  have  tiie  honor  cf  my 
Redeemer  and  the  best  interests  of  his  church  at  heart. 

Friday,  December  10.  Passed  tiie  day  in  the  city.  Witnessed  the 
reception  of  General  Lafayette  in  the  House  of  Representatives.  The 
scene  was  noble  and  august,  sublime  and  afiecting,  beyond  description. 
He  was  addressed  by  the  speaker,  Henry  Clay,  in  that  style  of  imposing 
eloquence  for  which  he  is  so  justly  distinguished.  The  general  replied 
in  a  manner  and  style  calculated  to  excite  some  of  tiie  most  generous 


44  MEMOIR   OF    DR,    STOW. 

and  grateful  emotions  of  the  heart.  The  whole  scene  was  affecting — • 
many  eyes  were  suffused  with  tears  at  the  recollection  of  the  services 
and  voluntary  sacrifices  of  the  hero,  patriot,  and  sage  who  stood  before 
them,  and  with  his  benign  accents  cheered  the  representatives  of  twenty- 
four  free  states  to  firmness  and  union  in  support  of  their  excellent  in- 
stitutions. This  reception  had  notliing  of  exterior  pomp  or  splendor. 
The  grandeur  and  sublimity  of  the  scene  consisted  altogether  in  the 
associations  awakened.  The  house  was  crowded  above  and  below  — 
all,  in  breathless  silence,  listening  to  the  unanimous  expression  of  grate- 
ful feeling  as  delivered  by  the  speaker  on  behalf  of  ten  millions  of  free, 
enlightened  people,  and  tlie  responsive  expressions  of  affectionate  at- 
tachment as  they  fell  from  the  lips  of  Lafayette.  The  whole  was  a  gush 
of  grateful  feeling  —  a  glow  of  liberal  sentiment. 

Monday,  February  14,  1825.  Commenced  my  studies.  This  term 
I  have  for  a  room-mate  a  young  man  who  is  not  pious.  I  praj'  to  be 
faithful  to  him. 

February  27.  Been  reading  tlie  journal  of  Rev.  Joseph  Wolf, 
missionary  to  Palestine.  He  was  born  near  Bamberg,  in  Bavaria,  of 
Jewish  parents,  in  179G.  His  father  was  a  Rabbi.  At  seventeen  years 
of  age  he  professed  Christianity,  and  soon  began  studying  for  the 
ministry.  After  spending  some  time  in  the  Propaganda  at  Rome,  he 
was  dismissed  on  account  of  his  opposition  to  Papal  authority.  Soon 
after  he  went  to  England  (1819),  he  entered  the  Missionary  Seminary 
at  Ilampstead  Park,  and  in  1821  set  out  for  Palestine.  His  journal 
breatlies  the  spirit  of  a  true  missionary,  devoted  to  God.  He  is  now  but 
twenty-nine  years  of  age,  but  has  done  more  to  bring  the  missionary 
cause  into  notice  and  reputation  there  tlian  any  otlier  living  man. 

March  1,  Tuesday.  Heard  Dr.  Staugliton,  Sabbath.  In  the  evening 
attended  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Baptist  General  Tract  Society.  Re- 
ports read,  and  addresses  made  by  several  members,  and  officers  chosen. 

March  4.  This  day  Jolm  Q.  Adams  is  inatigurated  President  of  the 
United  States,  and  John  C.  Calhoun  Vice-President.  The  oatii  of  office 
fl'as  administered  to  the  former  by  Chief  Justice  Marshall,  to  the  latter 
by  General  Jackson.  Crowds  were  disappointed  in  not  being  able  to 
witness  the  ceremonies.  How  strongly  do  such  multitudes  remind  one 
of  that  day  when  all  the  universe  shall  be  gathered  before  the  bar  of 
God! 

]March  7.  Heard  Dr.  Laurie  in  tlie  morning.  Brother  Newborn  in 
the  afternoon,  and  a  stranger  at  Mcllvaine's  in  the  evening.  I  must 
cease  wandering  from  place  to  place.  It  begets  unsettled,  unsteady 
habits,  and  prevents  the  exercise  of  spiritual  feelings.  I  find  more 
enjoyment  by  attending  some  regular  churcli.  I  must  be  more  stead}', 
and  confine  myself  to  tlie  church  to  which  I  belong.     May  God  enable 


JOURNAL.  45 

me  to  keep  these  resolutions.  If  a  man  would  grow  in  giace,  I  am 
sensible  he  will  not  be  assisted  in  that  growth  by  indulging  in  a  vain 
curiosity,  rambling  from  church  to  church,  from  preacher  to  preaclicr. 

March  17.  Last  evening  I  was  elected  as  orator  for  the  college  on 
fourth  of  July  next.  My  mind  for  the  past  four  days  has  been  seriously 
excited  to  earnest  supplication  for  the  salvation  of  my  dear  room-mate. 

April  7.  Yesterday  I  went  early  to  the  city  collecting  scholars  to 
the  Sabbath  school ;  succeeded  well,  but  the  ignorance  and  wretchedness 
of  the  blacks  at  Washington  is  beyond  deseription. 

April  11.  A  few  weeks  since  a  friend  of  mine,  Mr.  J.  P.  Fenncr, 
commenced  a  school  on  Sabbath  afternoon  exclusively  for  blacks;  he  is 
a  pious,  zealous  man,  and  I  trust  will  do  them  much  good.  In  the 
jchool  at  Brother  Brown's  we  have  seventy-two  scholars;  the  prospect 
is  good  for  the  number  reaching  one  hundred  next  Sabbath.  Brother 
Rice  preached  in  the  morning,  and  pleaded  earnestly  in  behalf  of  Sabbath 
schools.  At  three  o'clock  Mr.  Brown  went  into  the  baptismal  waters 
with  three.  As  many  as  two  thousand  gathered  at  the  river-side  to  wit- 
ness the  ceremony.  On  our  return  we  sat  down  to  the  Lord's  Supper, 
and  a  precious  hour  it  was  to  my  soul.  I  had  some  glimpses  of  my 
Saviour's  fiice,  some  tokens  of  his  love. 

Monday  morning,  April  18.  Spent  the  morning  searching  for  chil- 
dren to  attend  Sunday  school.  Found  a  young  man  preaching  in  the 
suburbs  to  these  verj'  poor,  wretched  creatures.  My  heart  burns  within 
me  to  be  employed  in  the  same  work  —  preaching  the  gospel  to  the 
poor,  ignorant,  and  vicious.  In  the  afternoon  I  assisted  my  dear  friend, 
Mr.  Fenner,  in  his  school  of  colored  people,  established  in  his  own 
house.     There  are  eighty  children  and  adults. 

Sabbath  evening.  In  the  morning  attended  Sunday  school.  Our 
numbers  are  steadily  increasing.  Instead  of  four  we  have  twenty-four 
teachers,  and  from  twenty-five,  our  scholars  number  one  hundred  and 
nineteen.  In  the  afternoon  the  schools  of  the  Union  met  at  Dr.  Balch's, 
Georgetown,  when  we  had  various  religious  exercises.  I  read  the  re- 
port. Dr.  Staughton  preached  from  these  words:  "Be  not  weary  in 
well  doing."  Rev.  Mr.  Bedell,  of  Philadelphia,  made  an  address,  and 
Rev.  Mr.  Hawley  addressed  the  children  particularly. 

May  28.  The  present  is  a  time  when  I  need  health  and  strength. 
Studies,  preparation  for  fourth  of  July  oration,  duties  in  Sunday  schools, 
and  matters  of  the  Baptist  General  Tract  Society  make  requisitions.  The 
Lord  has  thus  far  given  me  grace  and  strength.  I  feel  that  I  indulge  too 
much  a  worldly  spirit.  I  have  too  much  pride  and  vain-glory.  What 
grieves  me  most  is,  that  I  frequently  indulge  them  without  remorse.  I 
desire  constantly  an  increase  of  holiness. 
June  9.     Last  evening  had  some  sweet  conversation  with  a  pious  stu« 


46  MEMOIK    OF   DR.    STOW. 

dent,  Brother  Robert  Eyland,  about  experimental  religion,  and  about 
preaching.  He  thinks  he  must  preach,  and  I  think  so  too.  How  de- 
lightful it  was  to  converse  about  Christ  and  heaven  ! 

June  IC,  1825.  Another  birthday !  I  hardly  dare  review  the  scenes 
of  the  past  year.  The  mercies  of  my  God  have  been  so  many,  and  my 
ingiatitude  so  great,  I  meet  reproof  at  every  step. 

June  20.  Heard  Brother  Caswell  in  the  morning,  from  Matt.  x. 
32  and  33.  In  the  afternoon  attended  and  addressed  Mr.  Fenner's 
Of  lored  school.  At  night  heard  Brother  George  D.  Boardman,  a  mis- 
sionary designated  for  Burmah.  He  appears  a  person  of  sound,  dis- 
criminating mind,  and  sterling  piety.  Last  summer,  when  in  Boston,  I 
had  consideral)le  conversation  with  him  in  relation  to  my  own  impres- 
sions concerning  my  duty  to  become  a  missionary.  He  had  learned 
from  dear  Brother  King,  of  Waterville,  that  I  sometimes  thouglit  it  to 
be  my  calling;  but  I  apprehend  he  did  not  feel  satisfied  that  I  possessed 
much  ardor  for  the  good  work,  for  since  he  came  here  he  has  not  hinted 
to  me  a  syllable  on  the  subject.  Many  circumstances  combine  now  to 
produce  the  belief  that  I  am  not  called  to  be  a  missionary,  at  least  ia  a 
foreign  field.  If  I  know  my  own  heart,  I  am  willing  to  go  anywhere, 
at  any  time,  at  the  command  of  my  Lord. 

June  22.  This  evening  parted  witii  Brotlier  Boardman.  He  is  soon 
to  sail  for  Burinali.  He  is  a  good  man,  full  of  tiie  Holy  Ghost.  May 
the  Lord  go  with  him,  and  crown  his  labors  with  success. 

July  4.  The  hour  is  passed  for  which  I  have  been  so  long  prepar- 
ing. The  day  has  been  exceedingly  fine,  and  we  had  a  large,  respec- 
table audience.  After  the  reading  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
by  one  of  the  Juniors,  I  pronounced  my  oration,  an  hour  in  length.  I 
have  abundant  reason  to  be  grateful  for  the  goodness  of  God  to  me  to- 
day. 

July  5.  In  compliance  with  a  request  from  the  two  societies,  I 
have  just  given  to  the  committee  of  arrangements  a  copy  of  my 
oration. 

Soon  after  the  delivery  of  his  oration,  he  returned  to  his 
home  in  New  Hampshire.  He  makes  the  following  record  of 
the  visit,  and  the  incidents  attending  it :  — 

Newport,  N.  II.,  July  24.  Preached  for  Mr.  Person.  Must  begin 
to  think  of  doing  something  for  the  Baptist  General  Tract  Society. 

August  3.  Returned  from  Springfield,  Vt.,  where  I  went  Saturday  to 
visit  Brother  Ely.  The  Lord  has  been  doing  wonders  tliere  in  the  con- 
version of  sinners.  About  eighty  have  given  evidence  of  a  change  of 
heart;  forty-three  have  been  baptized  by  Brother  Ely.  It  was  a  little 
heaven  on  earth.  They  are  much  engaged  in  the  cause  of  their  Re- 
deemer. 


JOURNAL.  47 

Sabbath,  August  7.  Heard  the  Rev.  Ariel  Kendriek  this  morning, 
from  Jonah  ii.  7.  lie  is  still  the  same  luimble,  devout,  and  able  divine. 
He  is  one  of  the  fathers  of  this  association  (Woodstock),  and  has  borne 
much  of  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day.  His  labors  at  times  have 
been  very  greatly  blessed,  although  he  has  had  little  advantages  of  edu- 
cation. He  will  meet  many  in  .heaven  who  have  been  saved  through 
the  means  of  his  foithful  preaching.  The  satisfaction  of  doing  good  to 
the  souls  of  men  is  far  superior  to  that  of  possessing  much  knowledge. 
'•  Knowledge  often  puffeth  up,  but  charity  edifieth." 

Newport.  August  8.  Heard  the  Eev.  Mr.  Frey,  a  converted  Jew, 
preach  in  tlie  South  ISIeeting-house,  from  these  words  :  "Is  there  no 
balm  in  Giload"  ?  It  was  a  very  elegant  and  eloquent  discourse.  His 
representations  of  the  degraded  condition  of  tiie  Jews,  and  the  difficul- 
ties which  lie  in  the  way  of  their  conversion  to  Christianity,  were  truly 
affecting.  A  collection  of  twenty-eight  dollars  was  taken,  and  a  society 
of  sixty-four  members  formed,  auxiliary  to  the  "  American  Society  for 
the  Amelioration  of  the  Condition  of  the  Jews,"  in  which  he  is  deeply  in- 
terested, and  for  which  he  pleads  with  a  becoming  zeal.  A  settlement 
of  Jews  has  already  commenced  in  West  Chester,  N.  Y.  To  this  place 
Jews  are  received  by  reconnnendation  of  Count  Von  der  Reche,  in 
Germany,  who  employs  them  for  a  season  before  they  emigrate.  His 
object  is  one  of  the  best,  and  merits  the  prayers  and  liberal  contribu- 
tions of  Christians. 

August  15.  My  friend  and  classmate,  E.  W.  Cushman,  writes  me 
to  come  and  preach  in  his  place,  on  Fort  Hill,  during  his  absence  on  a 
sLcrt  trip  into  Maine.  I  have,  besides,  some  wish  to  pass  a  few  days  ic 
the  city  of  Boston,  to  attend  Harvard  Commencement,  as  also  the  Com- 
mencement of  Brown,  at  Providence.  My  friend  Knowles  is  solicitous 
to  see  me  at  Providence,  and  I  quite  as  anxious  to  see  him,  esteeming 
mj'self  unfortunate  to  be  deprived  of  his  society  and  judicious  counsel. 

Boston.  Made  my  home  at  Dr.  Baldwin's,  where  Brother  Knowles 
met  me  on  Tuesday,  and  remained  with  me  until  Thursday.  Heard 
him  preach  for  Mr.  Sharp.  Brother  Cushman  started  Tuesday  for 
Bath,  Me.,  Dr.  Baldwin  and  wife  for  Water ville.  Passed  part  of  the 
day  with  my  friend  T.  D.  Eliot,  a  classmate  from  Washington.  Wednes- 
day attended  examination  of  the  public  schools,  dined  with  the  mayor, 
aldermen,  &c.,  and  about  four  hundred  citizens,  at  Faneuil  Hall. 
Preached  in  the  evening  at  Charlestown  for  Brother  Jackson,  from  Isaiah 
Ixv.  17.  On  my  return  to  Boston,  found  Professor  Chase,  who  had  re- 
signed his  professorship  in  the  Columbian  College.  The  intelligence, 
ihougli  anticipated,  gave  me  pain.  It  seriously  affects  my  plans.  I  did 
not  think  he  would  so  soon  abandon  his  post ;  but  he  is  a  good  man,  and 
doubtless  has  done  all  things  well.  It  would  be  difficult  to  persuade  me 
that  he  has  done  anything  rashly  or  indiscreetly. 


48  MEMOIR   OF   DE.    STOW. 

Boston,  September  2.  Dr.  Baldwin  is  no  more !  He  died  sudden- 
ly last  Monday  night,  August  29,  at  Waterville,  Me.  His  remains  ar- 
rived to-day,  via  Portland,  by  steamboat.  He  was  a  good  man,  and 
thousands  will  deplore  his  loss. 

College  Hill,  September  14,  1825.  On  my  return  trip,  remained 
several  days  at  Providence,  with  my  deg,r  friend  K.  Attended  the  Com- 
mencement exercises,  which  were  fair;  also  went  to  the  celebration 
of  the  Federal  Adelphi.  The  oration  by  T.  Kinnicutt,  Esq.,  of  Seekonk, 
was  very  good ;  tiie  poem,  by  Benjamin  F.  Hallett,  witty  and  amusing. 
By  steamboat  I  came  to  New  York,  from  there  to  Philadelphia  to  spend 
the  Sabbath,  then  safely  on  to  Washington.  Here  again  I  will  make 
mention  of  the  loving  kindness  and  tender  watch-care  of  my  heavenly 
Father.  I  have  visited  my  loved  ones,  and  once  more  received  their 
benediction,  formed  new,  interesting  acquaintances,  and  been  treated  by 
all  with  great  kindness.  May  I  now  have  grace  to  pursue  my  studies 
with  ardor  and  profit. 


LEAVES   COLLEGE.  49 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Anxieties  about  the  Future.  —  Graduation.  —  Editor  of  the 
Columbian  Star.  —  Life  in  Washington.  —  Marriage.  — 
Reminiscences  by  President  Caswell. 

1825-1827. 

In  the  preceding  cliapter  we  have  made  copious  extracts 
from  the  diary  of  Mr.  Stow.  We  have  deemed  it  wise  to 
bring  to  the  notice  of  our  readers  the  varied  influences  which 
developed  and  gave  shape  to  his  character  in  this  formative 
period  of  his  life.  "We  see  him  engaged  in  his  college  duties. 
As  he  passes  down  the  gentle  declivity  by  which  the  city  is 
reached,  we  walk  by  his  side.  We  go  to  the  Capitol,  and 
imagine  the  eflTect  produced  on  his  mind  as  he  listens  to  the 
debates  in  Congress,  or  the  able  pleas  which  are  made  at  the 
bar  of  the  United  States  Court.  It  is  pleasant  to  follow  him 
in  his  preaching  tovirs  in  Virginia,  and  we  can  readily  believe 
that,  for  a  young  man,  his  preaching  must  have  been  of  a  high 
order.  Mr.  Stow  took  part  in  the  exercises  of  the  first  Com- 
mencement at  Washington,  in  December,  1824,  and,  by  antic- 
ipating some  of  his  studies,  was  able  to  graduate  in  Decem- 
ber, 1825,  having  been  a  member  of  college  a  little  over  three 
years.  Several  months  before  his  graduation,  the  attention 
of  the  college  authorities  was  turned  to  him  as  a  suitable  jDcr- 
son  to  receive  the  appointment  of  tutor.  Correspondence 
had  been  carried  on  with  him  with  reference  to  other  impor- 
tant posts  of  labor,  and  he  was  now  passing  through  an  exjic- 
rience  which  is  often  so  full  of  anxiety  to  the  yoiuig  man 
completing  his  collegiate  studies,  and  the  solemn  question  of 
life's  responsibilities  presses  itself  upon  his  serious  attention. 
With  great  sincerity,  and  a  i)rofound  conviction  of  his  depen- 
4 


50  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOAV. 

dence  on  God,  lie  committed  the  whole  matter  to  the  direction 
of  his  ever-gracious  Lord  and  Friend. 

September  23.  Health  unusually  good.  Propositions  have  been  made 
to  me  to  remain  after  I  graduate  in  December,  as  a  tutor.  Also  have 
had  a  request  to  assume  the  charge  of  an  academy  in  South  Carolina. 
Something  has  been  said  to  me  also  about  preaching  to  a  church  in  New 
Hampshire.  I  need  direction,  as  I  must  decide  soon.  Lord,  what  is 
duty?  What  course  shall  I  take?  Since  Brother  Knowles  left,  I  have 
no  friend  to  consult  with.  Perhaps  it  is  well,  that  I  may  go  to 
God. 

September  27.  Still  in  a  state  of  suspense  as  to  the  course  I  shall 
pursue  after  I  finish  my  studies.  The  world  furnislies  for  me  but  few  at- 
tractions. I  desire  to  live,  that  by  living  I  may  glorify  God.  Lead  me 
to  Greenland  or  Patagonia,  to  California  or  Japan,  it  matters  but  little, 
if  I  do  what  is  pleasing  to  my  heavenly  Father. 

October  7,  1825.  Rose  at  three  o'clock  this  morning  to  look  at  Jupi- 
ter and  Venus  —  now  a  little  past  conjunction.  By  means  of  a  three-feet 
telescope  I  had  a  good  view  of  them,  as  well  as  of  the  moon,  now  in  her 
last  quarter.  Jupiter  seen  very  distinctly  in  Leo.  I  hope  to  see  them 
again  to-morrow  morning,  in  order  to  make  some  more  accurate  obser- 
vations. Have  for  two  nights  been  observing  Encke's  comet,  visible 
after  eight  o'clock  P.  M. ;  now  visible  in  tlie  neck  of  Cetus.  I  find  a 
taste  for  natural  sciences  increase  as  I  advance.  There  is  something 
agreeable  in  discovering  and  investigating  physical  phenomena.  But  I 
would  not  let  such  a  taste  overcome  or  displace  a  taste  for  studies  more 
suited  to  my  calling.  Perhaps,  however,  divine  Providence  is  opening 
the  way  for  me  to  turn  my  attention  more  to  science,  in  order  that  I  may 
be  qualified  for  a  place  in  some  public  institution.  Circumstances  seem 
to  indicate  at  present  that  it  is  not  my  duty  to  enter  immediately  on  the 
ministry,  but  pursue  my  studies  farther.  O  for  divine  direction  !  The 
path  of  duty  is  the  only  path  in  which  I  desire  to  walk- 
October  IL  Read  Duncan,  On  Creeds  and  Confessions.  His  sub- 
ject now  seems  to  be  agitating  the  Presbyterian  churches  to  a  fearful 
extent.  Severe  language  is  used  on  both  sides.  Duncan  writes  like  a 
bDld,  fearless  Christian,  who  has  great  reverence  for  the  Word  of  God, 
who  earnestly  loves  the  truth ;  in  the  main,  very  evangelical. 

October  18.  Attended  Sabbath  schools  as  usual.  My  faith  is  not 
in  lively  exercise.  My  hopes  are  weak ;  prayer  too  much  like  talk. 
O  God,  give  me  the  light  of  life  !  Impress  my  heart  more  deeply  with 
a  sense  of  thy  great  goodness.  May  I  be  more  humble,  more  thankful, 
more  prayerful,  and  have  the  awful  things  of  eternity  resting  more 
weightily  upon  my  soul's  recollection.     I  a  Christian?  I  a  minister  of 


JOURNAL.  51 

Christ?  — so  cold,  so  dull,  so  indififercnt  to  the  interests  of  my  own  im- 
mortal soul,  and  the  souls  of  those  around  me  I 

October  20.  How  powerful  is  association !  sometimes  contributing 
to  our  pleasure,  sometimes  producing  painful  emotions.  Rogers  has 
sung  the  Pleasures  of  Memory,  Merry  the  Pains  of  Memory.  I 
have  many  of  both.  I  see  little  in  my  own  life  upon  which  I  can  reflect 
with  satisfaction.  I  see  too  much  sin  in  all  I  have  said,  and  thought, 
and  done,  to  be  much  pleased  with  myself.  Yet,  in  tracing  the  opera- 
tions of  divine  Providence  in  relation  to  myself,  and  the  influence  they 
have  had  upon  my  course  of  life,  &c.,  I  meditate  with  great  pleasure. 
God  has  led  me  in  a  way  I  apprclicndcd  not.  I  have  been  successful 
in  my  plans  and  wishes  beyond  my  highest  hopes.  I  desire  to  cherish 
constantly  towards  him  a  heart  full  of  earnest  and  devout  gratitude. 

November  1.  Am  for  the  present  the  editor  of  the  Columbian 
Star  —  an  arduous  undertaking,  with  my  other  duties.  Assist  Professor 
Euggles  in  his  iihilosophical  lectures. 

November  7.  The  Senior  class  has  this  day  been  dismissed,  and 
the  parts  assigned  for  Commencement.  I  have  received  the  first  honor 
—  the  Valedictory ;  Thomas  Dawes  Eliot  has  the  second  —  the  Salutatory 
Address.  This  is  not  as  I  anticipated,  although,  as  I  believe,  all  my 
friends  expected  and  wished  it.     Let  me  be  grateful  to  Heaven. 

December  1.  As  a  family  we  shall  soon  be  dispersed,  at  least  more 
so  than  now.  My  sister  J.  is  to  be  married.  I  feel  very  solicitous  to 
know  what  my  dear  mother  will  do.  She  has  for  some  time  engaged 
more  than  a  usual  sliare  of  my  sympathy.  All  in  my  power  shall  be 
done  to  render  her  declining  years  peaceful  and  happy.  She  has  en- 
dured much  toil  and  self-denial  in  order  to  release  me,  so  that  I  might 
obtain  an  education.  I  am  now  under  most  solemn  obligations  to  return 
the  kindness  fourfold.  May  God  help  me  so  to  do. 
'  December  7.  Exceedingly  occupied  in  arranging  matters  for  the 
Star,  and  preparations  for  Commencement.  Have  decided  to  go  to 
New  England  after  Commencement,  in  consequence  of  an  invitation 
from  the  Second  Baptist  Church  in  Salem.  I  hardly  think  it  my  duty 
to  become  pastor  of  a  church  immediately,  but  am  solicitous  to  enjoy 
the  advantages  of  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Newton,  Mass.,  in  which 
Professor  Chase  is  teacher  of  biblical  theology.  How  or  where  the 
Lord  may  direct  my  steps,  I  know  not.     To  him  I  commend  myself. 

December  18,  1825  (Sabbath).  This  day  bade  adieu  to  the  Sabbath 
school  in  Brother  Brown's  church,  of  which  I  have  for  some  time  been 
secretary  and  manager.  It  was  very  trying  to  my  feelings.  I  did  not 
know  I  was  half  so  much  attached  as  I  am  to  teachers  and  pupils.  May 
God  in  mercy  bless  them  all. 

December    21.      Commencement  passed.     I  rejoice,  for  I  am  ex- 


52  ■  MEMOIR   OF    DR.    STOW. 

ceedingly  weary.  "We  have  had  a  beautiful  day,  and  the  house  was 
crowded. 

Order  of  Exercises.  —  1.  SaUitatory  in  Latin,  with  English  Ora- 
tion, on  the  Causes  of  the  Paucity  of  splendid  Productions  of  American 
Genius  in  Poetry,  Sculpture,  and  Painting,  by  Thomas  D.Eliot,  D.  C. 
2.  Pernicious  Effects  of  Imitation  on  our  Literature,  by  John  Arm- 
strong, Penn.  Music.  3.  Eulogy  on  Alexander  Hamilton,  by  John 
Brewer,  IMaryland.  4.  The  Feudal  System  contrasted  with  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  Federal  States,  by  William  A.  Smallwood,  D.  C.  Music. 
5.  Instability  of  Civil  Institutions,  by  James  Jones,  D.  C.  G.  Influence 
of  Metaphysical  Speculation  on  Character,  by  Robert  W.  Cushman,  Mas- 
sachusetts. 7.  The  Elevation  which  Mind  appears  destined  to  reach,  by 
Baron  Stow,  New  Hampshire,  an  Oration,  with  valedictorj'  addresses. 
The  president  of  the  United  States,  the  vice-president  and  secretaries, 
were  present,  as  well  as  some  members  of  Congress,  besides  a  large 
number  of  other  distinguished  individuals. 

I  have  now  completed  my  collegiate  course.  But  what  little  gratitude 
do  I  feel  to  that  kind  Being  who  has  preserved  me  amidst  all  my  toils 
and  anxieties.  I  have  suffered  considerably  from  ill  health,  but  at  no 
period  of  life  was  it  better  than  now.  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and 
may  I  now  think  more  earnestly  of  entering  his  vineyard,  and  devoting 
myself,  soul  and  body,  and  all,  to  him. 

"  Lord,  I  am  thine ;  but  thou  wilt  prove 
My  faith,  my  patience,  and  my  love." 

Wednesday  evening,  December  28.  Attended  the  president's  drawing- 
room.  A  large  gathering  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  distinction  {)res- 
ent.  Was  introduced  to  the  president  and  his  lady  by  Colonel  Eichard 
M.  Johnson,  senator  from  Kentucky.  His  brother  introduced  me  to 
the  vice-president,  also  to  Mr.  Webster.  Received  a  number  of  flatter-, 
ing  compliments  from  Mr.  Webster  and  Mr.  Calhoun,  Mr.  Bartlett 
(New  Hampshire),  Mr.  Seymour  and  Mr.  Chase  (Vermont).  Eemained 
about  an  hour,  and  then  retired,  pleased  with  having  formed  new  acquaint- 
ances. I  have  no  solicitude  to  be  present  at  another  such  occasion. 
Godliness  does  not  grow  there.  I  should  not  have  attended  but  for  the 
curiosity  to  see  in  what  the  scene  consists ;  probably  it  is  the  only  op- 
portunity I  shall  ever  have.  For  happiness,  I  should  much  rather  go 
and  visit  a  humble  Christian  in  his  cottage,  though  in  the  midst  of 
poverty.     "  The  friendship  of  the  world  is  enmity  against  God." 

December  31,  1825.  This  day  closes  the  year,  and  is  the  anni- 
versary of  ray  baptism.  Seven  years  ago  about  this  hour  (12  M.),  I 
went  down  into  the  water  for  baptism.  That  was  a  happy  day.  Now  I 
am  in  a  different  state  of  mind,  distracted  by  care  and  anxieties.  What 
is  my  duty  ?     0,  let  me  with  my  whole  soul  commit  n)y  ways  unto  the 


EDITORIAL   AVORK.  53 

Lord,  that  lie  may  direct  my  paths.  I  wish  to  do  duty  —  that  is  my 
only  desire  concerning  my  future  course  of  action.  My  present  de- 
cision will  give  a  coloring  to  every  act  of  my  future  life.  "Lord,  be 
thou  my  guide." 

The  reader  lias  thus  followed  the  subject  of  the  Memoir 
through  his  college  life.  We  feel  that  there  has  been  a  con- 
stant growtli  in  his  intellectual  and  religious  life  during  his 
residence  in  Washington.  He  possesses  and  exhibits  manly- 
traits  of  character.  Occasionally  a  little  morbid,  perhajDs,  in 
his  feelings,  and  predisposed  to  a  pensiveness  Avhich  may, 
without  difficulty,  be  explained,  we  find  the  whole  man  de- 
veloj^ing  and  ripening  into  maturity,  and  Ave  predict  for  him 
a  bright  and  successful  future.  He  acknowledged  God  in 
all  his  ways,  and  He  directed  his  paths.  Nothing  can  be 
plainer  than  the  hand  of  his  Father  leading  him,  and  his 
right  hand  upholding  him. 

During  the  latter  part  of  his  collegiate  course,  Mr.  Stow 
had  acted  as  editor  of  the  Columbian  Star,  the  organ  of  the 
Triennial  Convention.  He  had  found  the  work  so  far  con- 
genial with  his  literary  tastes,  that  after  his  graduation  he 
was  Avilling  to  continue  his  editorial  work,  to  the  best  of  his 
ability.  Providence  seems  to  decide  that  he  shall  remain  in 
Washington,  at  least  for  the  present.  As  usual,  he  is  crowded 
with  work  in  these  days  of  his  early  manhood,  exhibiting  that 
marvellous  facility  for  writing  for  which  he  Avas  always  dis- 
tinguished, and  that  graceful  use  of  the  pen,  which,  on  so 
many  important  occasions,  made  his  services  so  acceptable. 
Pie  finds  time,  amid  his  multifarious  duties,  to  Ausit  the  halls 
of  Congress.  We  can  imagine  what  an  effect  must  have 
been  jiroduced  on  a  man  of  his  fine  taste  and  exquisite  sensi- 
bilities by  the  splendid  eloquence  of  Edward  Everett,  and  do 
not  wonder  Avhen  Ave  find  him  using  terms  of  the  Avarmest 
admiration  as  he  gives  expression  to  his  feelings  after  listen- 
ing to  one  of  his  matchless  efforts. 

Washington,  January  19,  1826.  Some  probability  I  may  remain 
here  a  year  or  two,  at  least,  as  editor  of  the  Columbian  Star.  Four 
weeks  ago  I  expected  to  be  in  New  England  before  this  date.     Provi- 


54  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

dence  seems  to  order  my  footsteps  otherwise.  I  wish  to  pursue  the 
right  course,  and  my  prayer  to  God  is,  tliat  I  may  be  directed  by  hira  in 
all  things.  I  need  more  piety,  more  humility,  more  confidence  in  God. 
Lord,  grant  me  all  I  need. 

Monday,  January  30.  Took  my  place  yesterday  in  the  Sunday 
school.  The  pain  I  felt  in  parting  with  it,  when  I  expected  to  leave  the 
city,  was  more  than  counterbalanced  by  the  pleasure  of  returning.  It 
is  a  good  cause,  and  one  in  which  I  feel  a  deep  interest. 

January  30.  The  souls  of  my  pupils,  I  thank  God,  appear  to  me 
•very  valuable,  and  I  desire  to  be  useful  to  them  in  turning  their  feet  into 
the  path  of  peace.  I  esteem  it  the  most  effectual  method  which  human 
benevolence  has  adopted  of  producing  real  benefit  to  society. 

Saturday,  March  4.  Had  some  enjoyment  this  morning  in  reading 
the  word  of  God,  and  in  prayer.  Who  that  knows  the  worth  of  this 
high  privilege  does  not  wish  to  be  often  at  a  throne  of  grace?  It  is  of 
more  value  to  the  peace  of  my  soul  than  all  the  wealth  of  the  Indies. 
Without  it  I  cannot  grow  in  grace ;  without  it  I  am  unhappy.  Yet  how 
much  do  I  neglect  it!  Surprising,  Immbling  thouglit,  that  when  I  know 
its  worth,  I  am  not  more  constantly  and  devotedly  engaged  in  it !  How 
should  a  sense  of  my  negligence  depress  me  in  the  dust  of  lowest  hu- 
miliation and  penitence ! 

March  9.  Had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  Hon.  Mr.  Everett  speak  to- 
day in  the  House  of  Eepresentatives.  Cannot  describe  the  emotions  I 
had.  His  eloquence  was  overpowering.  His  diction  is  chaste  and  ele- 
gant, his  voice  clear  and  distinct,  and  his  gesticulation  forcible.  The 
galleries  were  thronged  with  anxious  and  delighted  spectators.  Such 
bursts  of  real  oratory  I  never  witnessed  in  any  place.  In  the  evening 
heard  Captain  Symmes  explain  his  theory  of  a  concave  earth.  What  a 
burlesque  on  science! 

March  30.  Since  writing  the  above,  been  confined  to  my  bed  with 
pulmonary  fever.  Am  very  feeble,  but  my  spirits  are  excellent.  I  have 
considerable  religious  enjoyment.  The  Lord  is  kind  and  merciful  in 
all  my  afflictions. 

April  6.  Raised  from  a  bed  of  sickness  and  pain,  how  thankful 
should  I  be,  how  engaged  for  my  Redeemer !  I  am  a  monument  of 
divine  compassion  and  forbearance  —  so  often  brought  to  the  border- 
land, and  so  often  restored !  Where  shall  I  find  language  to  declare  the 
ioving-kindness  of  God?  I  am  lost  in  confusion  and  amazement! 
Lord,  wake  up  the  fires  of  pure  religion  in  my  torpid  bosom,  and  seal 
me  thine  forever. 

May  14,  Sabbath.  Three  weeks  ago  I  went  to  New  York  to  attend 
the  triennial  session  of  the  Baptist  General  Convention.  Was  kindly 
received  and  entertained  by  Mr.  Thomas  Stokes,  46  Franklin  Street. 


JOURNAL.  55 

Among  other  interesting  services,  attended  the  anniversary  of  the  New 
Vork  Sunday  Sciiool  Union,  at  Castle  Garden.  Have  been  elected  a 
trustee  of  Columbian  College. 

July  7.  News  just  received  of  the  death  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  at 
Monticello,  Va.,  on  the  4th  instant,  aged  eighty-three  years. 

July  8.  The  mail  brought  to-day  news  of  the  death  of  John  Adanu-;, 
father  of  the  president.  He,  too,  died  on  the  4tli  instant,  at  Quincy, 
Mass.,  aged  ninety-two  years.  Affecting  coincidence.  How  mysterious 
are  the  ways  of  Providence ! 

Sabbath,  July  16.  This  day  has  been  set  apart  to  religious  ser- 
vices in  honor  of  Messrs.  Adams  and  Jefferson.  Dr.  Staughton  preached 
a  discourse  in  the  Capitol  at  the  request  of  the  citizens.  Text,  "  Lovely 
and  pleasant  in  their  lives,  and  in  their  death  they  were  not  divided." 
2  Sam.  i.  23. 

August  3.  My  duties  and  vexations  multiply.  I  am  now  editor  of 
the  Star,  depositary  of  the  Baptist  General  Tract  Society,  secretary  of 
a  board  of  trustees  of  Columbian  College,  secretary  of  the  Sunday  School 
Union  of  tlie  District,  a  director  of  the  Auxiliary  Seaman's  Friend  Societj', 
a  member  of  the  committee  to  investigate  the  condition  of  the  old  Co- 
lumbian office,  secretary  of  Sabbath  School  No.  1,  a  member  of  Colum- 
bian Institute,  a  member  of  three  standing  committees  in  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  Baptist  General  Tract  Society. 

August  13.  Spent  the  day  in  Alexandria  very  pleasantly.  Heard 
Brother  Cornelius  preach  on  Christian  hope  —  a  very  sensible  discourse. 
A  good  man  and  zealous  preacher. 

On  the  7th  September,  1826,  I  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  L. 
Skinner,  third  daughter  of  the  late  Benjamin  Skinner,  Esq.,  of  Wind- 
sor, Vt.  The  ceremony  was  performed  by  Rev.  Christopher  Hale,  pas- 
tor of  the  Baptist  church  in  that  town.  As  I  have  now  entered  into 
new  relations  in  life,  I  would  devoutly  pray  that  we  may  both  have 
grace  to  live  in  the  fear  of  God,  and  to  devote  ourselves  to  him,  who 
has  been  our  constant  helper.  A  union  which  has  long  been  contem- 
plated now  has  been  consummated.  May  we  both  so  live  as  to  give  no 
occasion  to  citlier  to  regret  we  are  thus  united.  Our  obligations  and 
responsibilities  are  solemn.     May  we  never  forget  or  violate  them. 

October  1.  A  pleasant  morning.  O  that  my  soul  could,  in  full 
harmony  with  nature,  rise  in  concert  to  our  heavenly  King,  and  praise 
his  name  for  his  wonderful  works  to  man  !  I  have  some  few  emotions 
of  joy  and  satisfaction,  while  contemplating  divine  goodness  and  jus- 
tice. This  is  a  day  of  rest.  May  I  find  it  a  day  of  spiritual  rest  and 
refreshment. 

Saturday,  October*  29.  Heard  Rev.  Mr.  Baker  preach  from  Psalms 
Scv.  7,  8  —  a  counsel,  a  caution,  and  wa^-ning.     The  discourse  was  touch- 


66  MEMOIR   OF   DK.    STOW. 

ing  and  solemn.  In  the  afternoon  listened  to  Mr.  G.  W.  Blagden,  a 
young  Presbyterian  licentiate.     Text,  Luke  xvi.  25. 

January  21,  1827,  Sabbath  evening.  This  evening  preached  from 
Isaiah  xxxii.  2.  A  very  comfortable  season.  How  rich  and  full  of  con- 
solation is  the  doctrine  of  the  cross  !  It  is  delightful  to  preach  Jesus, 
and  him  crucified.  The  Lord  helps  his  servants  who  fully  and  faith- 
fully declare  the  gospel  of  his  Son. 

March  19.  The  Lord  is  pouring  out  his  Spirit  upon  the  Second 
Baptist  Church  in  this  city  [Washington],  of  which  I  am  a  member. 
Eev.  E.  H.  Neale  is  now  our  pastor.  Jlany  seem  prostrated  with  sol- 
emn convictions.  My  soul  longs  for  God,  and  the  comforts  of  liis  grace. 
I  am  barren  as  the  fig  tree  in  the  Scripture.  How  can  I  avoid  the 
curse  ? 

May  5.  Just  returned  from  Boston,  where  I  preached  several  times 
at  different  places.  There  is  now,  in  Boston  and  vicinity,  an  extraordi- 
nary revival  of  religion,  such  as  has  not  been  seen  tliere  for  eighty  years. 
The  work  is  silent,  but  powerful. 

May  26.  I  have  this  day  discontinued  my  connection  with  the  Co- 
lumbian Star.  Am  henceforth  to  have  no  further  concern  in  it.  My 
resignation  as  editor  was  the  result  of  a  firm  belief  that  the  time  had 
arrived  for  me  to  engage  in  the  great  and  good  work  of  preaching  the 
gospel.  My  friends  all  concur  with  me  in  the  opinion.  In  a  few  weeks 
I  shall  start  for  Boston. 

His  life  in  Washington  liad  been  an  exceedingly  laborious 
one.  At  one  time  during  the  year  1826,  which  is  now  pass- 
ing under  review,  he  was,  as  he  tells  us,  editor  of  the  Colum- 
bian Star,  depositary  of  the  Baptist  General  Tract  Society, 
secretary  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  college,  secretary  of 
the  Sabbath  School  Union  of  the  District,  a  director  of  the 
Auxiliary  Seamen's  Friend  Society,  a  member  of  the  commit- 
tee to  investigate  the  condition  of  the  old  Columbian  office, 
secretary  of  Sabbath  School  No.  1,  a  member  of  the  Colum- 
bian Institute,  a  member  of  three  standing  committees  in  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Baptist  General  Tract  Society.  It 
is  clear  tliat  his  post  in  "Washington  was  far  from  being  a 
sinecure.  He  had,  moreover,  some  i^eculiar  trials,  growing 
out  of  his  connection  with  the  Columbian  Star,  and  Rev. 
Luther  llice,  who  had  taken  so  active  a  part  in  denomination- 
al aft'airs.  These  trials  weighed  heavily  on  his  spirits.  And 
yet,  although  his  responsibilities  were  grave,  and  his  duties 


PRESIDENT    CASAVELl's   REMINISCENCES.  57 

often  exceedingly  burdensome,  he  became  warmly  attached 
to  "Washington.  Many  of  the  friendships  which  he  had 
formed  there  he  kept  up  as  long  as  he  lived.  For  the  gentle- 
men with  whom  he  was  associated  in  college  he  always  cher- 
ished the  most  tender  regard.  He  followed  also  with  great 
interest  the  fortunes  of  the  public  men,  whose  acquaintance 
he  had  made  at  the  seat  of  government.  He  read  their 
speeches,  and,  as  one  by  one  they  passed  away,  if  biographies 
were  written  of  them,  he  was  sure  to  peruse  them.  His  occa- 
sional visits  to  Washington,  in  subsequent  years,  were  always 
anticipated  with  i)lcasure,  and  were  keenly  enjoyed  by  him. 

The  following  communication,  j^repared  at  the  request  of 
the  editor  of  this  Memoir,  will  be  read  with  pleasure  by  the 
numerous  friends  of  Mr.  Stow :  — 

My  dear  Dr.  Stockbridge  :  You  have  kindly  requested  me  to 
give  you  some  reminiscences  of  our  late  lamented  brother,  Dr.  Baron 
Stow.  You  must  bear  in  mind,  as  I  do,  that  reminiscences  running 
back  nearly  half  a  century  are  liable  to  become  dim,  and  shadowy, 
and  uncertain.     I  will,  however,  do  the  best  I  can  to  meet  your  wishes. 

I  first  met  Baron  Stow  at  the  Columbian  College,  in  the  District  of 
Columbia,  in  the  latter  part  of  November,  1822.  I  repaired  to  the  col- 
lege, attiiat  time  under  appointment  as  a  tutor,  and  found  him  a  member 
of  the  Sophomore  class.  James  D.  Knowles,  Robert  AV.  Cuslmian, 
Jonathan  Meriam,  and  others  wliose  praise  has  been  in  all  the  churches, 
were  members  of  the  college  at  the  same  time. 

Mr.  Stow  became  known  to  me  as  a  most  diligent  and  successful  stu- 
dent, as  a  grave,  exemplary,  and  most  conscientious  Cliristian.  With 
some  considerable  acquaintance  with  young  men  professing  faith  in 
Christ,  I  had  rarely  met  one,  who,  in  the  discharge  of  his  Christian 
duties,  so  fully  exemplified  the  precept  of  doing  with  his  might  what  his 
hand  found  to  do.  He  suffered  then,  from  time  to  time,  as  through  his 
wliole  life,  from  severe  nervous  headaches.  But  it  seemed  hardly  to 
produce  any  relaxation  in  his  labors.  He  had  no  idle  hours.  He  was 
literally  a  worker  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord.  He  seemed  every  day 
to  feel  a  great  burden  of  responsibility  resting  upon  him.  So  devout 
was  he,  and  so  intent  upon  doing  the  great  work  which  iiis  Master  had 
assigned  him,  that  he  seemed,  far  more  than  most  Christian  men,  to 
walk  with  God.  Hence,  though  at  times  cheerful,  he  was  never  light 
and  frivolous,  never  in  tlic  smallest  degree  given  to  that  "jesting" 
which  tne  apostle  mentions  as  "  inconvenient."     Indeed,  the  habitual 


58  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

tone  of  his  mind  at  that  time,  as  I  now  remember  him,  was  almost  too 
serious  to  enter  fully  into  the  enjoyment  of  that  playfulness  of  wit  and 
humor  which  often  give  so  rich  a  zest  to  social  intercourse. 

I  think  Brother  Stow  had  been  accustomed  to  exercise  his  gifts  in 
preaching  before  he  went  to  Washington.  He  continued  this  practice 
during  his  collegiate  course.  He  was  always  an  acceptable,  sometimes 
an  impressive  preacher,  and  hence  he  had  frequent  invitations  to  preach 
in  Washington  and  its  vicinity.  It  was  often  my  privilege  to  attend 
religious  services  with  him,  and  witness  the  earnestness  with  which  he 
pleaded  witli  sinners  to  be  reconciled  to  God.  He  was  accustomed  to  the 
use  of  his  pen,  and  composed  with  facility,  and  with  a  maturity  of 
thought  and  style  not  common  to  persons  of  his  age.  But  I  think  his 
general  practice  at  that  time  was  to  preach  without  written  sermons. 
He  was  aided  in  this  by  his  ready  command  of  language,  and  the  happy 
faculty  of  analyzing  a  subject,  and  throwing  its  main  points  into  proper 
perspective,  so  that  the  hearer  would  at  once,  and  without  difficulty, 
seize  the  plan  of  his  discourse,  and  follow  him  in  his  argument  and  illus- 
trations. I  remember  to  have  been  present  on  more  than  one  occasion 
when  he  was  called  upon  to  preach  with  very  little  opportunity  for 
special  preparation,  and  where  he  acquitted  himself  with  great  advan- 
tage, leaving  upon  the  minds  of  his  hearers  a  deep  and  solemn  convic- 
tion of  tlicir  religious  responsibility. 

The  power  of  his  preaching  at  this  time  was  not  derived  from  any 
classic  finish  of  style,  or  any  special  grace  of  elocution  and  delivery, 
but  from  the  profound  conviction  of  his  own  mind  that  personal 
religion  was  a  great  and  solemn  reality,  and  necessary  to  salvation.  I 
might  add  that  the  cross  of  Christ  was  eminently  his  theme. 

Brother  Stow  left  Washington,  I  think,  in  1826.  I  left  in  1827. 
Since  that  time  I  have  often  been  associated  with  him  in  the  different 
religious  and  educational  interests  of  our  denomination.  To  every  post 
of  duty  and  labor  he  brought  a  sound  judgment,  an  earnest  purpose,  a 
prayerful  and  conciliatory  spirit.  His  early  activity  and  zeal  fore- 
shadowed the  labors  and  successes  of  his  subsequent  life.  It  is  pleas- 
ant to  dwell  upon  the  memory  of  one  whose  character  exhibits  so  much 
to  admire  and  love,  and  so  little  to  regret. 

I  am  yours,  in  the  bonds  of  Christ, 

Alexis  Caswkll. 

47  College  Street,  November  1,  1870. 


INVITATIONS    TO    SETTLE.  59 


CHAPTER  V. 

Calls  to  settle  in  the  Ministry.  —  Accepts  the  Invitation  to 
Portsmouth,  N.  II.  —  Ordination.  —  Journal —  Calls  to  Salem, 
Mass.,  and  Waterville,  Me.  — Urgent  Appeals  from  President 
Chaplin. 

1827-1830. 

The  scene  now  changes.  The  same  kmd  hand  which  thus 
far  had  led  the  subject  of  this  Memoir  was  now  directing  his 
steps  back  to  New  England,  where,  in  two  of  her  cities,  he  was 
to  spend  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  the  work  of  the  ministry 
of  reconciliation.  Years  had  passed  since  he  decided  that  he 
was  called  of  God  to  this  work.  His  concej^tions  of  the  dignity 
and  importance  of  the  pastoral  office  had  been  intensified  by  his 
long  reflections  upon  the  magnitude  of  the  interests  intrusted 
to  the  hands  of  the  minister  of  Jesus.  With  sincere  modesty 
and  misgivings,  he  shrank  from  entering  into  the  work,  much 
as  his  soul  panted  to  proclaim  to  men  "the  unsearchable 
riches  of  Christ."  Two  invitations  had  been  sent  to  him  to 
preach  as  a  candidate  for  settlement  as  a  pastor  —  one  from 
Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  and  the  other  from  Portsmouth,  N.  11. 
The  prospect  of  success  in  either  church,  in  some  respects, 
was  not  very  flattering.  The  church  in  Portsmouth,  which 
had  been  in  existence  but  a  short  time,  was  comparatively 
small  in  numbers,  and  in  its  means  was  considerably  strait- 
ened. Humanly  speaking,  therefore,  the  hoj^e  of  great  suc- 
cess was  not  very  bright,  and  the  young  minister  was  fully 
aware  that  if  he  became  the  j^astor  of  the  church,  he  must  gird 
himself  for  hard  work,  and  prepare  himself  for  a  severe  trial 
of  his  patience  and  faith.     In  reading  the  record  of  his  feel- 


00  MEMOIR   OF   DE.    STOW. 

ings,  we  are  reminded  very  much  of  a  similar  record  made  by 
Dr.  Wayland  under  like  circumstances :  "  If  God  should  place 
me  in  any  station  of  responsibility,  may  he  abundantly  enrich 
me  with  every  literary  and  intellectual  qualification,  but  espe 
cially  with  the  infinitely  richer  endowments  of  his  Holy 
Spirit,  tliat  I  may  be  sincere,  wise,  pure,  holy,  vigilant,  and 
prayerful,  and  deeply  impressed  Avith  the  value  of  souls.  In 
fine,  Avhatever  may  be  my  lot  in  this  world,  may  I  live  a  life 
of  holiness,  and  be  received  at  last  to  the  place  where  there 
is  no  more  lukewarmness,  but  where  they  see  as  they  are 
seen,  and  know  as  they  are  known."  It  is  in  the  same  spirit 
that  Mr.  Stow  turned  his  face  towards  his  new  home.  We 
will  follow  him  as  he  departs  from  Washington,  and  becomes 
tairly  settled  in  Portsmouth. 

June  IG.  I  have  now  an  invitation  from  the  Baptist  church  in 
Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  and  another  from  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  to  preach 
as  candidate  for  the  pastoral  office.  But  0,  my  utter  unfitness  for  tlie 
high  and  responsible  vocation  !     My  only  hope  is  in  the  God  of  Jacob. 

Portsmouth,  N.  11.,  July  2i,  1827.  On  the  22d  June  myself  and 
companion  bade  adieu  to  Washington  for  the  eastward.  I  had  spent 
five  years  there.  I  shall  count  them  among  the  pleasantest  of  my  life. 
On  the  2od  we  reached  Pliiladelphia.  Passed  the  Sabbath  with  Mrs. 
Wythe   (Dr.  Staughton's  sister).     He  being  there,  heard  him  preach. 

1  preached  twice  —  once  for  Mr.  Dagg,  at  the  Sansom  Street  church, 
once  for  the  brethren  in  Bank  Street,  a  minority  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church. 

Monday  we  left  for  Boston,  Avhere  we  were  hospitably  entertained 
by  our  dear  friend  and  brother,  James  D.  Knowles,  during  a  stay  of 
three  weeks.  Preached  several  times  for  the  diiFerent  churches,  and 
at  JuUien  Hall. 

On  Wednesday  last,  the  ISth  July,  the  new  house  of  worship  in 
Federal  Street,  Boston,  was  dedicated  by  religious  services  to  the  wor- 
ship of  Almighty  God.  Sermon  by  Mr.  Sharp,  "Keep  thy  foot  when 
thou  goost  to  the  house  of  God;  "  dedicatory  prayer  by  Mr.  Grosvenor; 
recognition  and  address  to  the  church  by  Mr.  Knowles.  Services 
higldy  interesting  and  solemn. 

Thursday  we  came  by  stage  to  Portsmouth.  The  small  Baptist 
church  here  is  destitute  of  a  pastor,  and  have  invited  me  to  preach  for 
them  a  few  Sabbatlis.  I  pray  my  labors,  however  short  may  be  my  stay, 
may  prove  useful.     The  Baptist  cause  here  is  in  a  low  state.     An  effort 


ACCEPTS    THE    CALL    TO    TOUTSMOUTII.  Gl 

is  making  to  raise  it  anil  give  it  dignity.  I  wisli  to  feci  engaged  in  tiic 
work  before  me.  My  faitli  is  weak,  and  I  iiave  too  little  of  a  spirit  of 
prayer.  Wheresoever  God  in  his  Providence  may  direct  my  feet  I  wish 
to  go.  My  desire  is  to  serve  him  and  promote  his  cause.  lie  has  done 
great  things  for  me.  I  ought  to  be  more  grateful.  My  heart  is  too 
insensible  to  divine  goodness. 

Portsmouth,  August  29.  Have  been  here  six  weeks  laboring. 
Visited  much.  Preached  four  discourses  every  week.  The  meetings 
are  well  attended  by  tliose  of  all  denominations.  The  word  is  listened 
to  with  much  solemnity,  and  the  desire  seems  to  be  unanimous  that  I 
should  stay  here.  AVhat  I  shall  do  I  know  not.  May  God  direct  me 
in  the  way  of  duty. 

September  1.  Good  is  the  work  of  the  Lord.  Feel  more  and  more 
encouraged  to  labor  for  the  good  of  souls.  Some  incidents  of  recent 
occurrence  lead  me  to  believe  that  we  shall  yet  see  a  work  of  grace  in 
Portsmouth. 

September  3.  This  day  received  from  the  church  and  society  to 
which  I  am  preaching  a  unanimous  invitation  to  become  their  pastor. 
My  coming  here,  under  God,  seems  to  have  rendered  their  prospects 
more  encouraging.  They  propose  a  salary  of  seven  hundred  dollars, 
with  promise  of  increase.     The  meetings  are  crowded  and  interesting. 

September  8.  Answered  the  church  in  the  affirmative.  In  so 
doing  have  sought  divine  direction,  and,  I  trust,  obtained  it.  The 
die  is  cast.  I  rejoice.  My  mind  is  now  at  rest.  In  the  strength  of 
God  I  hope  to  go  forward.  May  he  make  me  a  blessing  to  liis  cause  in 
this  town.  The  field  here  is  wide.  May  I  be  humble  and  faithful,  and 
may  the  Lord  establish  the  work  of  my  hands.  The  immense  responsi- 
bility !  "  Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things  ?  "  "  My  grace  is  sufficient 
for  thee."  "  They  that  trust  in  the  Lord  shall  be  as  Mount  Zion,  that 
Cannot  be  removed,  but  abideth  forever."    Precious  promises  these. 


It  will  be  seen,  from  these  extracts,  ihAt  the  new  pastor  at 
once  found  favor  with  the  jieople,  and  that  the  seal  of  the 
divine  approbation  was  j^ut  upon  his  ministry.  His  elo- 
quence, his  piety,  his  aflable,  yet  dignified  bearing,  at  once 
won  for  him  a  place  in  the  affections  of  his  people,  and  com- 
manded the  resiject  and  homage  of  the  community  in  which 
he  had  cast  his  lot.  The  feeling  of  discouragement  which 
had  for  some  time  been  creeping  over  the  church,  disap- 
peared, and  they  became  assured  that,  in  answer  to  their 
prayers,  a  brighter  day  had  begun  to  dawn  on  them.     The 


C2  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

day  to  which  for  so  many  years  he  had  been  looking  forward 
with  so  much  interest — the  day  of  his  ordination  —  had 
come.  How  many  hearts  sympathized  with  him  in  the  event ! 
With  Avhat  glad  emotions  did  she,  who  stood  to  him  in  the 
tender  relation  of  mother,  welcome  the  happy  day  which  was 
to  see  her  beloved  son  publicly  set  apart  as  a  minister  of 
Christ !  For  him  she  had  toiled  and  denied  self,  and  prayed 
unceasingly  that  the  common  Lord  of  both  parent  and  child 
would  lead  him  in  the  way  that  should  most  glorify  him. 
The  prayers  and  benedictions  of  other  loved  ones  followed 
the  object  of  their  affections. 

The  ordination  of  Mr.  Stow  took  place  on  the  24th  of 
October,  1827,  in  the  "  South  Meeting-house."  The  services 
were  as  follows :  Reading  Scriptures,  Rev.  Mr.  Cooke ; 
prayer.  Rev.  Mr.  Houghton  ;  sermon.  Rev.  R.  Babcock ;  oi-- 
daining  prayer,  Rev.  Mr.  Ellis ;  charge.  Rev.  Dr.  Bolles ; 
right  hand  of  fellowship.  Rev.  Mr.  Miller ;  address  to  church 
and  congregation,  Rev.  Mr.  Davis ;  concluding  prayer.  Rev. 
Mr.  Davis.  The  new  jDastor,  thus  solemnly  set  apart  to  the 
work  of  the  ministry,  writes,  "  The  responsibilities  which  I 
have  assumed  seem  immense.  Without  the  grace  of  God  I 
shall  certainly  fail.  O  God,  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  be  thou  my  constant  guide  and  helper.  May  I  be 
humble,  prudent,  and  faithful." 

From  our  knowledge  of  his  conscientiousness  and  his  sincere 
love  for  the  duties  of  the  sacred  calling,  we  can  readily  con- 
ceive with  what  earnestness  he  addressed  himself  to  his  work, 
and  how  he  longed  to  "  make  full  proof  of"  his  "  ministry." 
With  a  preparation  for  the  ministry  superior  to  that  of  most 
ministers  in  the  denomination  Avith  which  he  was  connected, 
with  an  impressive  manner  and  attractive  2:)ersonal  appear- 
ance in  the  pulpit,  and  by  means  of  that  peculiar  style  of 
chaste  eloquence  which  always  made  him  so  acceptable  as  a 
preacher,  he  gave  evidence  at  once  that  he  was  destined  to 
take  no  ordinary  rank  as  a  public  speaker.  It  is  true,  his  con- 
gi-egation  did  not  embrace  the  elite  of  the  town,  but  there 
were  enou2;h  in  it  of  the  class  to  which  his  blessed  Master 


SUCCESS    IX    HIS    "WORK.  63 

loved  to  proclaim  the  gospel,  and  to  liim  the  winning  of  one 
Boul  to  Christ  was  a  matter  of  such  supreme  joy  and  satisfac- 
tion, that  in  the  gladness  of  his  heart  he  overlooked  all  social 
distinctions,  while  he  welcomed  to  his  heart  the  humblest  one 
who  had  been  "  born  of  the  Spirit." 

On  the  4th  of  November  he  tells  us  that  he  had  greatly 
enjoyed  the  presence  of  Christ  in  preaching  his  word.  It  was 
on  this  day  that  lie  first  administered  the  sacred  rite  of  bap- 
tism. "  Nothing  occurred,"  he  remarks,  "  to  interrupt  or 
diminish  the  pleasure  of  the  hour.  What  infinite  satisfaction 
the  harbinger  of  our  Lord  must  have  felt  as  he  walked  into 
Jordan  with  his  blessed  Saviour,  and  hiid  him  beneath  its 
wave  !  "  We  learn  incidentally  how  small  the  church  was  at 
this  time,  from  the  recorded  statement  that,  on  the  day  when 
this  baptism  took  place,  twenty-eight  persons  commemorated 
the  Saviours  dying  love. 

Not  far  from  four  months  had  passed  since  he  preached  his 
first  sermon  in  the  plain,  unpretending  meeting-house  of  the 
Baptist  church  in  Portsmouth,  when  he  thus  writes  under 
date  of  Sabbath,  November  11,  1827:  — 

To-day  have  preaclied  four  times  —  three  discourses  at  my  own  place 
and  one  at  tlie  Almsiiouse.  God  strengthened  me  wonderfully  for  the 
task.  Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul !  Congregation  is  gradually  increas- 
ing; our  prospects  of  raising  a  large  society  are  flattering.  Sabbath 
evenings  our  small  place  of  worship  is  crowded  by  people  of  every  rank 
and  persuasion.  A  greater  variety  of  characters  and  belief  could  not 
well  be  collected  in  any  place.  I  find  myself  in  danger  of  being  "lifted 
up"  with  pride.  I  have  endeavored  to  examine  myself,  and  to  ascertain 
what  are  my  motives  in  preparing  and  preaching  my  sermons.  I  am 
afraid  I  have  too  much  regard  to  the  praise  of  men  rather  than  the 
praise  of  God.  My  heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things,  and  too  often 
leads  me  to  forget  the  God  for  whom  I  profess  to  labor,  and  to  whose 
lienor  and  approbation  I  ought  to  have  constant  regard.  0,  the  pride 
of  human  nature  !  Lord  Jesus,  divest  my  heart  of  a  man-pleasing  spirit, 
and  helji  me  to  glory  in  thy  cross. 

Perhaps  we  cannot  do  better  than  to  let  the  toiling,  earnest 
minister  and  pastor  tell  to  us  the  tale  of  his  hopes  and  fears, 
his  joys  and  sorrows.     Such  a  rehearsal  cannot  fail  to  encour- 


64  MEMOIK    OF    DPv.    STOW. 

age  the  hearts  of  tliose  ■who  are  just  entering  the  ministry, 
and  often  feel  crushed  under  the  burden  of  resi^onsibiHty  laid 
on  them. 

1828. 

January  1,  1828.  "  Now  my  days  are  swifter  than  a  post;  they  are 
passed  away  as  the  swift  ships,  as  the  eagle  hasteth  to  the  prey."  How 
true  is  this  testimony  hy  tlie  godly  patriarch  of  Uz  in  regard  to  the 
celerity  of  time's  flight!  How  quickly  has  another  year  passed!  and  yet 
how  momentous  have  been  its  transactions,  when  considered  as  bearing 
on  my  eternal  interests  !  Since  the  year  1827  commenced,  I  have  passed 
through  various  changes  in  my  external  circumstances.  In  all  I  can 
perceive  the  hand  of  God  so  ordering  everytliing  as  to  place  nie  where 
I  now  am.  Preaching  seems  a  duty  and  delight.  Since  I  left  college 
I  have  prospered  in  no  other  vocation. 

January'  20.  This  day  I  have  been  "  down  into  the  water  "  with  three 
happy  converts.  The  weatiier  was  cold,  and  many  thought  us  madmen 
for  presuming  to  perform  the  ordinance  at  such  a  time.  But  we  suffered 
not  the  slightest  inconvenience.  If  the  cross  was  great,  the  joy  in  tak- 
ing it  up  was  proportionably  great.  Worldly  men  have  no  conception 
of  those  feelings  which  prompt  the  Christian  to  so  much  self-denial  and 
renunciation  of  the  world. 

July  17.  This  day  concludes  the  first  year  of  my  labors  in  P.  Have 
preached  one  hundred  and  seventy-three  discourses,  one  hundred  and 
fifty-four  of  which  have  been  preached  to  one  society.  Parochial  visits 
more  than  four  hundred ;  officiated  at  eight  funerals  ;  married  ten  cou- 
ples ;  baptized  sixteen.  The  church  has  increased  from  twenty-seven 
to  fifty-three.  The  congregation  numbered  sixty-three  July  22,  1827, 
when  I  preached  my  first  sermon  to  them.  Now  it  amounts  to  over 
three  hundred.  These  facts  I  record  simply  for  recollection,  not  to 
boast;  for,  when  the  providence  of  God  has  so  evidently  done  the  whole, 
boasting  is  excluded. 

July  20,  Sabbath.  Had  some  enjoyment  in  preaching  my  anniver- 
sary sermon.  I  trust  my  heart  was  touched  at  a  view  of  what  God  has 
done  for  me  and  my  people  during  the  year.  I  desire  to  be  humbled 
that  I  have  done  so  little  for  him.  My  imperfect  labors  God  has  been 
pleased  to  bless. 

August  31.  Exchanged  this  morning  with  Eev.  Israel  W.  Putnam 
(Congregationalist).  "What  though  we  may  differ  on  some  points  not 
essential  to  salvation,  yet  may  we  not  retain  our  own  doctrines  and  prac- 
tice, and  at  the  same  time  treat  each  other  as  friends  and  brothers?  As 
Baptists,  we  are  thouglit  precise  and  narrow  in  our  views  and  discipline. 
Yet  none  ai'e  more  libei'al  than  we  in  those  ofiices  of  kindness  and  that 


JOURNAL.  65 

interchange  of  civilities  whicli  do  not  require  a  relinquisliment  of  prin- 
ciple. Would  wc  were  more  filled  with  the  spirit  of  Christ.  We  should 
thereby  furnish  to  an  infidel  woi'ld  a  better  proof  of  the  excellence  of 
Christianity. 

September  24:.  This  day  our  new  house  of  worship  in  Middle  Street 
was  dedicated  to  Almighty  God.  The  discourse  was  from  Isa.  Ixvi.  12. 
The  season  solemn  and  interesting.  May  it  be  crowned  by  the  blessing 
of  Heaven. 

1829. 

January  1,  1829. 

"  The  year  rolls  round,  and  steals  away 
The  breath  that  first  it  gave; 
Whate'cr  we  do,  whate'er  we  be, 
AVe're  travelling:  to  the  grave." 

Little,  too  little,  alas  !  have  I  done  the  past  year  for  my  blessed  Sa- 
viour. Been  blessed  with  unusual  health,  and  have  enjoyed  an  unin- 
terrupted series  of  blessings  from  the  hand  of  my  heavenly  Father. 
Would  I  had  lived  better,  prayed  more,  preached  with  greater  fidelity ! 
To-night  I  address  the  5'oung. 

January  25.  Enjoyed  a  refreshing  season,  —  preaching  from  Hosea 
xiii.  9,  —  especially  in  the  afternoon,  when  considering  the  gracious 
offer  of  restoration,  "  In  me  is  thine  help  "  did  I  find  peculiar  com- 
fort. My  soul  longs  to  see  a  revival  of  God's  work.  Two  have  re- 
cently been  seriously  affected  by  the  power  of  truth,  and  now  cherish 
hope,  through  Christ,  of  eternal  life.  The  church  and  society  liave 
been  compelled  to  struggle  with  severe  difficulties.  No  eff'ort  has  been 
omitted  to  check  our  growth,  and,  if  possible,  to  ruin  us.  But  God 
has  kindly  interposed,  has  overruled  all  opposition  for  his  own  glory 
and  our  good.  The  Lord  has  promised,  "  When  the  enemy  comes  in 
like  a  flood,  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  shall  lift  up  a  standard  against  him  " 
—  and  verified  it  to  us. 

August  10.  This  day  commences  the  fourth  year  of  the  existence  of 
the  church  of  which  I  am  pastor.  Three  years  ago  it  was  constituted 
of  eight  members  —  Eev.  Duncan  Dunbar,  Deacon  Samuel  Cleaves, 
Elisha  C.  Crane,  Allen  Porter,  Sampson  Sheafe,  Christiana  Dunbar,  of 
Newcastle,  Mary  Brewster,  Susan  Parke.  A  small  and  feeble  band 
truly.  Yet  God  has  blessed  them  beyond  measure.  They  were  first 
publicly  recognized  in  an  old  hall  in  Vaughan  Street  called  Assembly 
House.  Now  they  have  a  neat,  commodious  house  of  worship,  with  a 
good,  growing  congregation.  Great  harmony  of  feeling  and  unity  of 
action  prevail  in  the  church.  There  is  also  an  untiring  spirit  of  prayer- 
fulness,  which  has  an  excellent  effect  upon  the  members,  producing  en- 
couragement and  faith.  We  trust  the  Lord  is  yet  on  our  side,  and  will 
5 


66  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

appCcar  for  our  help.  I  have  too  little  faith,  too  little  confidence,  in  Him 
whose  promise  is  to  "give  the  increase." 

Recovering  from  a  severe  illness.  Have  not  preached  for  two  Sab- 
baths, and  must  be  deprived  of  the  privilege  yet  another.  My  people  are 
exceedingly  kind,  and  have  exhibited  much  sympathy.  May  I  be  able 
to  requite  them  by  faithfulness  to  souls. 

October  3.  Heading  Memoir  of  Legh  Richmond,  by  Grimshawe. 
The  compiler  shows  himself  too  much.  A  biographer  should  leave  his 
own  biography  to  be  executed  by  another.  To  me  the  life  is  highly  in- 
teresting. Legh  Richmond  was  a  man  of  God,  zealous  and  useful.  His 
tracts,  The  Dairyman's  Daughter,  The  Young  Cottager,  or  Little  Jane, 
and  the  Negro  Servant,  have  been  useful  beyond  a  parallel.  They  are 
read  in  every  quarter  of  the  globe.  Mr.  Richmond  did  not  write  his 
discourses. 

October  7.  First  anniversary  of  the  Portsmouth  Baptist  Association. 
Met  at  Brentwood.  Received  a  visit  from  a  young  lady  (M.  J.).  She 
professes  to  indulge  some  confidence  that  her  sins  are  pardoned ;  that 
she  is  justified  before  God  by  the  atoning  merits  of  Christ.  Had  consid- 
erable conversation  with  her  relative  to  her  views  of  God's  character, 
her  own  heart,  the  way  of  her  past  life,  &c.,  &c.  So  far  as  I  gained 
evidence  that  the  work  is  genuine,  I  rejoiced  with  her.  By  this  inter- 
view I  trust  my  own  heart  was  quickened.  "Awake,  O  north  wind, 
and  come,  thou  south." 

October  13.  This  morning  had  some  warmth  in  prayer.  God  seemed 
near,  eternity  seemed  near.  Desired  holiness  for  its  own  sake.  Was 
told  yesterday  several  young  people  in  the  congregation  are  thoughtful. 
Refreshing  news.  What  do  I  desire  more  than  to  see  my  dear  people 
turning  to  God !  In  my  visits  from  house  to  house  heard  everywhere  of 
the  effect  produced  by  my  Sabbath  sermons.  Perhaps  I  have  never 
preached  two  discourses  that  took  deeper  hold  on  the  assembly.  I  ob- 
served throughout  the  assembly,  especially  in  the  afternoon,  an  unusual 
solemnity ;  but  I  was  not  aware  the  effect  was  either  so  great  or  general. 
O,  my  soul,  give  God  tlie praise !  None  but  God  could  thus  touch  hard 
and  stupid  hearts.     "  Sing,  O  ye  heavens,  for  the  Lord  hath  done  it." 

October  18.  This  is  the  last  Sabbath  in  the  second  year  of  my  pas- 
toral labors.  What  thoughts  does  it  suggest  for  my  admonition!  How 
little  have  I  done !  Everything  stained  with  self.  What  good  have  I 
done?  What  has  the  Holy  Spirit  done  by  me,  a  poor,  remiss,  unfaith- 
ful servant?  Preached  this  morning  from  Phil.  iii.  18.  Described  the 
enemies  of  the  cross,  and  the  causes  of  their  enmity.  Lord,  enable  me 
this  afternoon  to  speak  affectionately  and  faithfully  from  the  passage, 
*'  To-day,  if  ye  will  hear  his  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts." 

November  21.    This  evening  had  five  inquirers.   What  pleasure  there 


LETTER   TO    II.    B.    HART.  67 

is  in  directing  the  sin-sick  soul  to  the  groat  Pliysician !  It  is  sweet 
work  to  preach  Jesus,  to  dwell  upon  his  love,  his  sufferings,  and  his 
death. 

November  28.  Three  presented  themselves  before  the  church  for 
baptism  and  admission  to  fellowship.  They  gave  interesting  relations 
of  the  work  of  grace  upon  their  hearts,  ami  were  unanimously  received. 
Enjoyed  a  refreshing  season. 

December  G.  Preached  three  times ;  baptized  three ;  administered 
the  Lord's  Supper.  Had  unusual  peace  and  comfort.  It  is  easy  doing 
duty  when  tlie  Lord  is  at  work  upon  the  hearts  of  the  people.  May  I 
be  stimulated  to  greater  activity  in  my  Master's  service.    . 

December  16.  Received  a  letter  from  my  dear  sister  (J.),  announ- 
cing the  deiiglitful  fact  that  my  youngest  brother,  Peter,  has  been  hope- 
fully converted. 

December  29.  Earnest  desires  for  the  conversion  of  young  men. 
Wrote  several  letters  to  individuals  in  the  parish,  in  whom  I  feel 
especially  interested.     Lord,  accompany  these  letters  with  thy  blessing. 

Only  one  of  the  letters  referred  to  in  the  last  extract  has 
come  into  the  hands  of  the  editor.  It  was  addressed  to  Mr. 
Henry  B.  Hart,  late  of  Portland,  Me.,  but  then  residing  in 
Portsmouth,  and  a  member  of  Mr.  Stow's  congregation.  It 
is  only  a  sample  of  many  others  written  during  the  ministry 
of  Mr.  Stow,  and  it  resulted,  as  doubtless  many  others  did,  in 
the  awakening  and  conversion  of  the  person  to  whom  it  was 
addressed.  In  less  than  two  months  from  the  time  of  receiv- 
ing it,  Mr.  Hart  came  to  rest  in  Christ  as  his  Saviour,  and 
soon  after  both  himself  and  his  wife  were  baptized,  and  re- 
ceived into  the  fellowship  of  the  Portsmouth  church.  He 
subsequently  removed  to  Portland,  Me.,  and,  till  the  close 
of  his  life,  was  known  as  an  active  and  influential  mem- 
ber of  the  Free  Street  Church,  in  that  city.  Ho  always 
cherished  a  very  tender  affection  for  the  man  whose  faith- 
ful admonition  and  entreaty  led  him  to  Christ,  and  lived 
in  relations  of  confidence  and  intimacy  with  him  till  death 
intervened.  The  interruption,  however,  was  not  long;  for, 
since  the  preparation  of  the  Memoir  was  undertaken,  the 
tried^  friend,  the  faithful  Christian,  and  the  liberal  supporter 
of  all  good  works,  followed  his  early  teacher  and  guide  to 
the  rest  and  glory  of  heaven.     The  letter  is  here  inserted. 


68  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

Portsmouth,  November  19,  1829. 

My  dear  Friend  :  As  your  occupation  renders  it  difficult  for  me  to. 
see  you,  and  converse  with  you  jjersonally,  as  I  would  wish,  permit  me 
in  this  familiar  manner  to  address  you  upon  a  subject  of  unusual  im- 
portance. I  have  long  felt  a  tender  anxiety  for  your  spiritual  interests ; 
and  this  anxiety,  instead  of  diminishing  with  the  lapse  of  time,  is  daily 
increasing.  Very  few  individuals  in  my  congregation  have  occupied 
so  much  of  my  thoughts  and  prayers.  At  the  time  your  dear  companion 
professed  to  receive  comfort  from  the  grace  of  God  in  Christ  her  Saviour, 
I  was  rejoiced  to  see  that  you  felt  solicitious  for  your  own  soul,  and 
hoped  that  you,  like  her,  would  be  led  to  exercise  genuine  faith  in  the 
Redeemer  of  sinners.  Having  had  since  no  opportunity  for  personal 
conversation,  I  know  not  the  result  of  the  convictions  with  which  your 
mind  was  then  affected.  I  presume,  however,  that  you  yet  indulge  no 
hope  that  your  sins  have  been  forgiven,  and  that  you  are  prepared  to 
meet  Christ  in  judgment.  I  have  been  ever  delighted  with  tlie  serious 
and  fixed  attention  which  you  give  to  the  word  preached  on  the  Sab- 
bath, and  have  consequently  indulged  the  hope  that  truth  would  find  a 
lodgment  in  your  heart,  and  bring  you  to  deep  repentance  for  sin,  and 
belief  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Permit  me,  my  dear  friend,  to  urge  upon  you  the  great  importance 
of  turning  to  the  Ijord  and  serving  him  with  all  your  heart.  I  now  ad- 
dress you,  not  merely  as  your  pastor,  but  especially  as  your  sincere 
friend  —  one  who  would  be  willing  to  suffer  much  for  your  soul's  salva- 
tion. Tell  me,  are  you  doing  what  you  should  to  secure  that  soul's 
best  interests  ?  Do  you  live  a  life  of  prayer  ?  Do  you  make  the  Bible 
the  rule  of  action?  Do  you  labor  to  imitate  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus? 
Are  your  afiections  more  upon  God  and  heavenly  things  than  upon 
the  objects  of  earth?  I  am  aware  of  the  excellence  of  your  moral 
character,  the  uniform  propriety  of  your  conduct,  your  strict  temper- 
ance, your  dislike  of  vicious  society,  your  regard  for  the  public  services 
of  religion,  and  your  respectful  treatment  of  all  who  give  evidence  of 
sincere  piety.  But,  my  friend,  is  your  heart  right  with  God?  Have 
you  ever  seen  the  sinfulness  of  your  nature  ?  Do  you  think  you  have 
any  genuine  love  for  God?  Can  you  rejoice  that  the  Lord  reigns,  and 
that  he  does  everything  according  to  the  pleasure  of  his  own  will  ?  Do 
you  feel  any  gratitude  to  him  for  the  conversion  of  your  wife  ?  Do  you 
correctly  understand  and  feel  the  righteousness  of  his  holy  law  ?  O, 
how  often  do  you  and  I  violate  that  good  law  in  heart,  even  when  there 
is  no  outward  act.  Jeliovah  says,  "  My  son,  give  me  thine  heart." 
How  affectionate  his  language  !  How  reasonable  his  demand  !  Oj  Avill 
you  not  comply  with  this  demand,  and  give  liim  your  heart  without  delay  ? 
What  pleasure  should  I  feel  in  being  permitted  to  direct  you,  penitent 


JOURNAL.  69 

and  broken-lioartcJ,  to  tliat  bleeding  sacrifice  tliat  was  offered  on  Cal- 
vary !  What  satisfaction  would  it  afford,  nut  to  me  only,  but  to  your 
nearest  friend,  your  wife,  as  well  as  to  numerous  others  who  feel  a  deep 
interest  for  you,  could  wo  see  you  become  a  genuine  disciple  of  Christ, 
devoting  your  youth  and  health  to  God,  and  striving  to  benefit  your 
fellow-creatures  by  deeds  of  rigiiteousness  !  And  do  you  feel  contented, 
my  friend,  to  remain  in  your  present  dangerous  condition?  Have  you 
no  fears  that  you  shall  lose  your  soul  ?  Is  not  the  mercy  of  God  bound- 
less? May  you  not  «ow  be  saved?  Will  you  not  now  give  up  your 
heart  to  God,  and  secure  an  interest  in  the  Redeemer's  blood  before  it 
is  forever  too  late?  If  you  have  any  desire  to  escape  the  tremendous 
con.-^equences  of  sin,  or  any  desire  to  enjoy  an  eternal  heaven,  now  is 
the  time.  Do  not  delay.  Every  hour  you  lose  is  bringing  you  nearer 
to  death  and  the  grave.  O,  be  persuaded  to  repent  and  believe  the 
gospel. 

Receive  this,  dear  sir,  as  a  proof  of  my  undissembled  regard  for  you; 
and  may  we  Ije  so  happy  as  at  last  to  meet  in  a  happier,  holier  state  at 
God's  right  hand. 

Yours  with  esteem, 

Baron  Stow. 

"We  return  now  to  the  journal,  beginning  with  the  entry  on 
the  first  clay  of 

1830. 

January  1,  18:10.  Preached  last  evening  for  the  Methodists.  Am  to- 
night to  address  the  young.  The  good  work  still  continues  ;  my  labors 
increase.     Our  prayer  meetings  are  crowded  and  solemn. 

January  2-i.  A  good  day.  Preached  three  times ;  baptized  nine. 
The  day  was  the  coldest  of  the  season,  but  the  candidates  went  forward 
with  firmness,  and  found  a  blessing  in  obedience.  I  never  enjoyed  the 
ordinance  more.  The  good  work  still  advances  ;  some  are  daily  brought 
into  liberty. 

January  25.  Read  often  Ezek.  iii.  33.  If  ever  I  reach  heaven,  how 
true  that  salvation  is  all  of  grace  ! 

March  11.  Last  Sabbath  I  baptized  six,  rnaking  nineteen  since  the 
meeting  of  the  Association  in  October.  Had  a  delightful  season  at  the 
Lord's  table.  A  letter  from  my  dear  brother  P.,  giving  an  account  of 
his  experience  and  baptism,  &c.  He  writes  like  a  real  child  of  God. 
O  that  he  may  hold  fast  his  profession,  and  be  trained  up  for  useful- 
ness. The  Lord  may  clioose  him  for  a  minister ;  if  so,  I  trust  he  will 
be  far  more  holy  than  his  brother  B.  Bitter  storm  of  wind  and  sleet. 
Read  the  first  part  of  Memoirs  of  Dr.  Payson.  What  a  holy  man! 
Lord,  make  me  more  like  Payson ;  more  like  Paul ;  nay,  more  like  Jesus. 


70  MEMOIR    OF    DE.    STOW. 

April  20.  At  church  meeting  last  evening,  four  gave  us  the  relation  of 
the  work  of  grace  in  their  hearts.  Our  new  members  are  nearly  all 
young.  They  devolve  on  me,  as  well  as  on  the  church,  a  great  re- 
sponsibility. O,  thou  great  Shepherd,  keep  these  lambs,  protect  them, 
nourish  them,  and  may  they  remain  steadfast,  "perfecting  holiness  in 
the  fear  of  the  Lord." 

May  1.  Have  labored  hard  to  prepare  three  sermons.  I  remem- 
ber Professor  I.  Chase  once  told  me  "  to  prepare  my  sermons  with 
a  view  to  benefit  one  soul;  to  prepare  them  with  a  distinct  appre- 
hension of  the  value  of  one  soul,  and  with  a  willingness  to  preach  to  one, 
should  no  more  be  present.  In  such  a  case  I  should  not  be  disap- 
pointed if  my  congregation  should  happen  to  be  very  small."  Good 
advice,  but,  alas !  little  regarded. 

May  2.  Had  a  refreshing  hour  last  evening  at  the  inquiry  meeting. 
Found  one  more  soul  rejoicing  in  the  liberty  of  the  gospel  —  Captain 
J.  L.  Some  weeks  since  his  wife  was  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
truth,  and  commenced  praying  for  him.  He  has  been  deeply  convicted. 
He  is  really  a  new  man.  His  tongue  is  active  in  praising  the  Lord,  and 
warning  his  companions  to  repent  and  return  to  God.  [He  was  bap- 
tized early  on  the  morning  of  his  sailing,  and  subsequently  perished 
at  sea.] 

July  1.  Have  received  a  pressing  invitation  from  the  Second  Bap- 
tist Church,  Salem,  Mass.,  to  become  their  pastor.     Cannot  accept. 

July  6.  Have  sent  a  negative  answer  to  the  request  of  the  Salem 
friends.     Lord,  strengthen  me  for  thy  work  in  Portsmouth. 

July  15.  A  committee  from  Salem  waited  on  me  to  press  their  claim, 
and  endeavor  to  persuade  me  to  think  favorably  of  their  request.  Could 
give  them  no  encouragement.  They  seem  determined  not  to  relinquish 
their  object.  O  that  I  may  be  guided  in  the  right  way!  I  would  not 
be  obstinate,  but  must  be  decided.  At  present,  cannot  leave  this  in- 
teresting field. 

July  ?)0.  This  day  have  returned  from  Maine,  where  I  have  been 
twelve  days,  attending  the  examination  and  Commencement  at  Water- 
ville  College.  On  Tuesday  was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees.  Wednesday,  pronounced  the  Oration.  Was  honored  with 
the  degree  of  A.  M. 

October  IG.  Received  a  letter  this  morning  from  Dr.  Chaplin,  of 
Waterville,  renewing  the  request  that  I  would  remove  and  become  the 
pastor  of  the  church  in  tiiat  place.  He  is  very  urgent.  In  sucli  cases 
I  ought  to  look  to  God  for  direction.  I  need  wisdom  from  above. 
Evidently  my  work  is  nearly  finislied  iiere.  Wiiither  I  sliall  go  I  know 
not,  nor  do  I  much  care,  provided  the  Lord  go  before  and  with  me. 
Blessed  Saviour,  make  me  more  like  tliyself. 


CALLS  TO  OTHER  CHURCHES.  71 

It  will  be  observed  tli;'.t  Avithin  a  few  months  Mr.  Stow 
received  tAVO  urgent  invitations  to  remove  from  Ports- 
mouth. The  Second  Baj^tist  Church  in  Salem,  Mass.,  had 
become  vacant  by  the  resignation  of  Rev.  Mr.  Pattison, 
who  had  been  called  to  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Prov- 
idence, R.  I.  The  correspondence  conducted  by  the  com- 
mittee—  among  whom  I  find  the  honored  names  of  J.  Mori- 
arty  and  Robert  Ui^ton  —  is  before  me.  It  urges  the  case 
very  strongly,  and  presents  weighty  reasons  wdiy  the  Ports- 
mouth pastor  should  accejit  the  call  so  heartily  extended  to 
him.  But  he  did  not  feel  that  he  was  justified  in  leaving  his 
present  field  of  labor.  After  having  reached  the  conclusion 
that  it  was  not  his  duty  to  accept  the  call  of  the  Salem 
church,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  Rev.  Mr.  Babcock,  then  pastor 
of  the  First  Church,  in  which  he  gives  the  reasons  which 
have  led  him  to  the  decision  to  which  he  had  come.  Thia 
letter  presents  Mr.  Stow  in  the  most  praiseworthy  light,  as 
actuated  by  noble,  Christian  jDrinciple  in  the  course  which  he 

pursued. 

Portsmouth,  August  9,  1830. 

Dear  Brother  Babcock  :  While  the  negotiation  between  the 
Second  Church  in  Saleni  and  myself  was  pending,  I  was  several  times 
at  the  point  of  writing  you,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  your  views 
and  feelings  upon  the  subject.  But  it  occurred  to  me,  that,  however 
ready  you  might  be  to  express  j'our  personal  feelings,  you  would  find 
it  difficult,  from  your  peculiar  situation,  to  suggest  anything  that  might 
have  a  tendency  to  dissuade  me  from  accepting  their  proposal.  As  the 
negotiation  is  now  concluded,  you  will  permit  me  to  say  a  few  words  in 
reference  to  the  motives  which  induced  me  to  decline  the  request. 

He  then  alludes  to  certain  pecuniary  embarrassments, 
which  were  weighing  heavily  upon  his  spirits,  from  which  he 
could  free  himself  if  he  were  to  change  his  pastoral  connec- 
tion. He  also  refers  to  the  want  of  denominational  sym- 
pathy which  he  finds  in  Portsmouth,  the  nearest  Baptist 
church  being  twelve  miles  off.  He  says  he  has  to  be  "  bishop, 
rector,  vicar,  curate,  &c.,  &c.,"  and  the  burdens  he  carries  are 
almost  insupportable.  And  yet  his  heart  clings  to  liis  beloved 
flock,  and  he  cannot  make  u])  his  mind  to  desert  them  in  the 
hour  of  their  great  need.     lie  writes, — 


,::  MEMOIR  or  dr.  stow. 

The  ties  which  bind  me  to  this  Jear  people,  and  them  to  me,  could 
not  be  sundered  without  pain  —  I  liad  almost  said,  without  blood.  They 
have  done  their  utmost  to  sustain  the  cause,  and  to  make  me  comforta- 
ble. They  have  actually  sacrificed  for  my  sake,  and  could  I  leave 
such  friends?  This  interest  is  important,  and  ought  to  be  sustained. 
Should  I  leave  them  in  their  present  condition,  I  fear  that  disaster  would 
follow.  Besides,  my  brethren  in  this  state  importuned  me  so  urgently 
to  remain,  and  made  out  so  strong  a  case  in  regard  to  tfie  moral  neces- 
sities of  our  Baptist  churches,  that  I  found  it  difficult  to  resist  their 
entreaties.  After  balancing  all  the  circumstances,  I  found  that  personal 
considerations  lay  chiefly  on  one  side,  and  the  claims  of  Zion  on  the 
other.  I  could  not  hesitate.  For  Zion's  sake  I  trust  I  felt  willing 
still  longer  to  sacrifice  and  suffer,  and  commit  myself  to  Him  who  best 
knows  what  discipline  we  need  to  keep  us  in  our  proper  places.  I  see 
little  else  than  suffering  before  me ;  but  if  the  cup  cannot  pass  from  me, 
I  implore  grace  to  render  me  ever  willing  to  drink  it. 

The  overtures  from  Waterville  were  presented  in  two  let- 
ters, written  by  Rev.  Dr.  Chaplin,  president  of  Waterville 
College.  These  letters  are  characteristic  of  the  writer,  and 
exhibit  in  a  very  striking  light  the  persistent  energy  which 
carried  him  through  the  toils  and  sacrifices  incident  to  the 
foundation  of  what  is  now  "  Colby  University."  The  sec- 
ond of  these  letters  contains  a  re-statement  of  the  matters 
urged  in  the  first,  and  we  cannot  resist  the  impulse  we  feel  to 
give  it  entire,  both  as  illustrating  the  characteristics  of  the 
writer,  and  as  showing  the  inducements  which  w^ere  expected 
to  influence  the  decision  of  one  of  the  most  promising  Bap- 
tist jDreachers  of  that  day. 

Waterville  College,  October  23,  1830. 
Kev.  Mr.  Stow. 

Dear  Sir :  When  I  wrote  you  last  (ten  or  twelve  days  since)  I 
had  not  room  to  say  all  I  wished  to  say.  The  present  letter  is  accord- 
ingly intended  to  be  an  appendix  to  my  former  one.  I  hope  you  will  not 
be  offended  because  my  letters  follow  one  another  in  so  rapid  succes- 
sion, but  will  impute  their  frequency  to  the  deep  anxiety  which  I  feel 
for  the  promotion  of  learning  and  religion  in  this  region. 

In  my  last  I  stated  that  I  had  secured  of  our  State  Convention  aid 
for  the  Baptist  churcli  in  this  place  to  the  amount  of  one  hundred  dollars, 
on  condition  tliat  a  suitable  preacher  should  be  obtained,  and  that  I  had  a 
prospect  of  obtaining  two  hundred  more  in  Massachusetts  and  Rhode 
Island,  by  the  assistance  of  two  of  the  students  of  the  college.     I  added, 


LETTER    FKOM    PRESIDENT    CIIAPLIX.  73r 

tliiit  WO  would  engage  to  raise  at  least  two  IiundreJ  dollars  in  this  place. 
I  have  since,  I  think,  seen  some  good  reason  to  believe  that  a  larger  sum 
might  be  raised,  provided  I  could  give  assurance  tliat  you  would  come. 
I  attended  a  meeting  of  our  church  a  week  ago.  It  was  much  fuller  than 
usual,  and  very  interesting.  The  members  present  appeared  deeply 
impressed  with  the  importance  of  having  a  faithful  and  an  able  pastor, 
and  nearly  all  the  leading  men  in  the  church  seemed  to  be  sensible  of 
the  necessity  of  more  efficient  and  systematic  efforts  for  the  support  of 
the  gospel.  No  vote  was  passed  in  relation  to  the  sura  to  be  raised,  but 
I  apprehend  that  in  the  event  of  our  receiving  encouraging  assurances 
from  you,  we  should  be  able  to  raise  two  hundred  dollars  in  the 
church  alone,  and  two  hundred  more  from  people  in  Waterville.  I 
have  expressed  to  several  of  the  brethren,  confidentially,  the  hope  I 
had  that  you  might  be  obtained;  and  I  sliould  have  done  the  same  to 
the  members  generall}'.  did  I  not  fear  we  might  be  disappointed.  Con- 
sidering all  things,  I  thought  it  best  to  say  no  more  than  this  in  the 
church  meetings,  viz.,  that  matters  were  in  train  for  procuring  a  man 
with  whom  they  would  all  be  satisfied ;  and  I  think  you  may  rest  assured 
that  there  is  not  a  member  of  our  church  who  would  not  be  rejoiced  to 
hear  that  }-ou  could  be  obtained. 

As  it  respects  myself,  and  mos-t,  if  not  all,  of  the  officers  of  the  college, 
we  do  not  want  you  here  merely  as  the  ininister  of  the  place.  We  want 
you  here  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees,  as  one  of  our  examin- 
ing committee,  and  as  a  friend  whom  we  may  consult  in  difficult  cases, 
and  to  whom  we  may  open  our  minds  with  freedom  and  confidence.  We 
want  you  to  visit  the  pious  students,  particularly  the  beneficiaries  of  our 
education  societies,  and  to  assist  us  to  raise  the  standard  of  religious 
feeling  in  the  college.  We  want  you  also  to  visit  our  academy  fre- 
quently, and  unite  with  us  in  concerting  measures  for  promoting  its 
growth  and  reputation.  I  will  add,  we  greatly  need  your  aid  in  our 
Association,  in  our  Education  Society,  and  in  our  State  Convention. 
Should  you  remove  to  this  place,  and  be  favored  with  the  blessing  of 
God  on  your  efforts,  your  sphere  of  action  would  be  extensive,  and  your 
usefulness,  as  it  seems  to  me,  very  great.  I  sa.y,  should  the  blessing  of 
(led  attend  your  efforts.  I  am  sensible  that  your  talents  and  acijuire- 
nients  would  avail  nothing  without  this  ;  but  this,  I  trust,  will  not  be  with- 
held. For  it  really  seems  to  me  that  it  is  your  duty  to  come ;  and  I  need 
not  tell  you  that  the  way  of  duty  is  the  way  of  blessing. 

It  seems  to  me  that  Waterville  is  the  very  place  where  you  are  most 
needed,  and  where  your  talents  may  be  employed  with  the  greatest  effect. 
I  know  there  are  other  places  where  you  may  have  more  hearers.  But 
the  character  of  our  hearers  is  more  to  be  regarded  than  the  number. 
CUir  assembly  is  not  large,  but  a  more  interesting  assembly  can  hardly 
be  found  in  any  part  of  New  England.  Besides  a  considerable  number 
of  educated  and  professional  men  residing  in  the  village,  nearly  all  the 


74  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

students  of  the  college  and  the  academy  may  be  expected  to  attend  oui 
meeting.  And  how  important  it  is  that  young  men,  who,  in  consequence 
of  their  talents  and  their  acquirements,  are  destined  to  occupy  impor- 
tant stations  in  the  church  or  in  the  civil  community,  and  exert  a 
mighty  influence  on  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  their  felIo\r- 
men,  —  an  influence  which  must  be  felt  to  the  end  of  time  and  through 
eternity, —  how  important  that  they  have  the  advantage  of  sitting  under 
a  ministry  which  is  not  only  distinguished  for  orthodoxy  and  piety,  but 
which  shall  give  them  clear  and  extensive  views  of  divine  truth,  shall 
make  them  feel  that  there  is  nothing  in  pure  religion  incompatible  with 
intellectual  greatness,  and  that  a  humble,  devoted  Christian  may  be  a 
genius  and  a  scholar!  Had  you  not,  my  dear  sir,  rather  preach  to  such 
an  assembly  as  ours,  though  comparatively  small,  than  to  one  much 
larger,  composed  of  people  in  the  ordinary  walks  of  life?  And,  I  may 
add,  would  you  not  have  the  prospect  of  doing  much  more  good?  Per- 
haps, however,  I  need  say  nothing  of  the  smallness  of  our  assembly. 
There  is,  I  apprehend,  good  reason  to  expect  that  our  congregation 
would  greatlj'  increase  should  you  consent  to  become  our  pastor. 

In  closing,  allow  me,  my  dear  sir,  to  express  my  earnest  desire  and 
my  hope  that  God  will  graciously  assist  you  in  ascertaining  your  duty, 
and  will  give  you  much  of  that  wisdom  which  is  profitable  to  direct. 
If  I  know  my  own  heart,  I  do  not  wish  you  to  remove  to  Waterville, 
unless  you  can  do  it  with  his  approbation.  To  his  blessing  I  desire  to 
commend  both  you  and  yours,  while  I  subscribe  myself 

Your  friend  and  brother  in  the  gospel, 

Jeremiah  Chaplin. 

It  is  not  easy  to  conceive  how  great  the  disappointment  of 
Dr.  Chaphn  must  have  been  when  he  received  from  Mr. 
Stow  a  negative  reply  to  his  letters.  Evidently  his  hopes 
had  been  highly  raised,  and  his  imagination  drew  a  bright 
pictm'C  of  the  delightful  results  which  would  be  sure  to  follijw 
Mr.  StoAv's  acceptance  of  the  call  which  would  have  been 
extended  to  him  had  he  given  the  slightest  encouragement 
to  believe  he  woidd  become  the  pastor  of  the  Waterville 
chm-ch.  He  had,  hoAvever,  waded  through  too  mmy  diffi- 
culties, and  encountered  too  many  trials,  to  allow  himself 
long  to  brood  over  this  blighting  of  his  hopes.  Meanwhile, 
the  subject  of  our  Memoir,  having  disposed  of  a  matter 
which,  we  doubt  not,  he  most  seriously  took  iuto  considera- 
tion, continued  to  make  full  proof  of  his  ministry  in  Ports- 
mouth. 


CLOSE    OF   AIIXISTKY    IX   PORTSMOUTH.  75 


CHAPTER    VI. 

Last  Year  in  Portsmouth.  —  Ixvitatioxs  to  remove  to  differ- 
ent Places.  —  Journal.  —  Call  to  Baldwin  Place  Church, 
Boston. — Letters  from  Rev.  J.  D.  Knowles  and  Dr.  Sharp. 
—  Dr.  Lamson  ox  Dr.  Stow's  Ministry  in  Portsmouth. 

1830-1832. 

The  course  of  events  has  brought  us  nearly  to  the  closing 
year  of  Mr.  Stow's  ministiy  in  Portsmouth.  He  is  im- 
pressed, at  the  commencement  of  the  year,  that  his  ministry 
here  is  probably  drawing  to  an  end.  Some  special  tokens  of 
the  divine  favor  manifested  themselves  early  in  the  year.  A 
few  inquirers  came  to  him  to  converse  with  him  on  matters 
connected  with  the  salvation  of  their  souls.  He  had  suc- 
ceeded in  awakening  much  interest  in  the  cause  of  temper- 
ance. He  tells  us  an  anecdote  which  amused  him  much. 
"  A  genuine  dram-drinkei*,  being  asked  if  he  were  going  to 
hear  my  address  on  intemperance,  replied,  'No,  I  don't  like 
him.  I  believe,  if  he  were  to  look  at  a  hogshead  of  rum,  the 
head  would  fall  in.'"  He  observes,  "I  notice  how  carefully 
the  drunkards  shun  me,  and  retailers  give  me  little  opj^ortu- 
nity  for  conversation."  As  the  weeks  pass  away,  his  anxi- 
eties for  a  revival  of  religion  increase.  In  the  month  of 
April  there  w^as  held,  for  several  days,  a  series  of  meetings. 
All  these  efforts,  however,  failed  to  accomplish  the  results 
which  he  so  much  desired  to  see. 

We  give  a  few  more  extracts  from  his  journal,  which, 
while  they  represent  him  as  still  active  m  his  ministerial 
labors,  also  disclose  to  xis  the  chain  of  causes,  each  one  of 
which  had  some  connection  with  the  dissolution  of  the  ties 
which  bound  him  to  Portsmouth. 


7G  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

]Miiy  19.  Preached  at  Stratham  last  evening,  from  Psalms  Ixxxv.  6. 
Had  unusual  liberty.  In  times  past  I  have  generally  enjoyed  more  free* 
dom  at  home  than  abroad;  but  during  the  past  five  or  six  weeks  this 
thing  has  been  reversed.  I  have  little  freedom  at  home,  and  much  en- 
largement abroad.  Is  this  an  indication  from  the  Lord  touching  duty? 
I  now  have  an  urgent  call  to  remove  to  Lowell.  Shall  I  go?  I  am  al- 
most decided  in  the  opinion  that  my  work  is  done  in  Portsmouth.  I 
have,  indeed,  no  desire  to  leave  this  place.  Everything,  with  one  ex- 
ception, is  quite  as  agreeable  as  I  could  expect  in  any  place  on  earth  — 
my  labors  are  not  blessed.  In  other  places,  wherever  I  go,  the  Lord  is 
pleased  to  give  efficiency  to  my  poor  labors.  Does  this  fact  speak  a  lan- 
guage at  all  definite  upon  this  point  or  not?  I  think  I  am  willing  to 
stay  if  it  be  the  Lord's  will.  I  fear  I  may  be  too  impatient,  too  much 
unreconciled,  too  much  disposed  to  think  vny  labors  deserve  the  divine 
blessing.  I  know  I  am  greatly  wrong  at  heart.  I  need,  I  beg  forgive- 
ness of  my  God.  Show  me  the  right  way,  O  Lord,  and  sanctify  my 
unholy  dispositions. 

May  30.  Returned  from  Boston.  Have  been  to  attend  the  religious 
anniversaries.  On  Wednesday  delivered  two  addresses  —  one  before 
the  Northern  Baptist  Education  Society,  upon  "the  importance  of  su- 
perior piety  in  those  whom  the  church  may  encourage  to  preach  the 
gospel ; "  the  other  before  the  Massachusetts  Baptist  Missionar}'  Society, 
on  "the  physical  and  moral  ability  of  the  church."  Sabbath  day 
preached  on  exchange  for  Brother  Knowles,  in  Baldwin  Place ;  in  the 
evening,  for  Brother  Jacobs,  Cambridgeport.  Weather  exceedingly 
warm,  but  my  heart  excessively  cold. 

June  10.  Returned  from  Newburyport.  Preached  for  Rev.  Mr. 
Proudfit  in  the  house  under  whose  pulpit  sleep  the  ashes  of  that  man 
of  God,  Rev.  George  Whitefield.  There  was  something  really  inspiring 
in  the  thought  I  was  so  near  the  dust  of  such  a  man.  Would  that  I  had 
more  of  his  spirit. 

September  29.  Since  the  preceding  date,  I  have  passed  over  consid- 
erable territory,  and  through  varied  scenes.  Visited  Concord,  New 
Hampton,  New  London,  Newport,  and  from  there  came  to  Boston ; 
thence  to  Newton  to  consult  with  friends  on  one  or  two  points  :  first, 
Shall  I  go  to  Ohio,  as  has  been  proposed,  to  be  president  of  a  college? 
or  shall  I  go  to  New  Hampton,  and  take  charge  of  the  theological  de- 
partment? or  shall  I  stay  here?  Decided  not  to  go  west  at  present. 
Could  not  fully  decide  between  the  other  two.  How  good  the  Lord  has 
been  to  me  !  Praised  be  the  Lord  for  all  his  mercies  ;  bless  him,  O  my 
soul ! 

September  30.  Heard  of  the  death  of  dear  Brother  George  D.  Board- 
man,   missionary  to  Burmah.     He  died  among  the  Karens,  February 


JOUIINAL.  77 

11,  1831.  He  was  "a  good  man,  and  full  of  the  Holy  Gliost."  Un 
labors  were  blessed  among  the  Karans.  The  day  before  his  d-cath  he 
witnessed  the  baptism  of  thirty-four  eonverts.  Who  will  go  and  take 
his  place?  How  do  the  vacancies  in  our  churches  multiply!  Great 
Head,  send  forth  more  laborers  ! 

October  7.  Returned  from  Exeter  —  the  meeting  of  our  Baptist  As- 
sociation. The  Lord  was  evidently  with  us.  Much  seriousness  exists 
in  the  place.  Several  seem  to  be  affected  in  view  of  their  sinfulness. 
O  that  the  Lord  would  pour  out  his  Spirit  plentifully  upon  Exeter,  and 
turn  that  people  to  himself!  And  may  I  not  pray  again  and  again  for  my 
own  church? 

October  18.  A  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  in  the  church.  Some  signs 
of  returning  life.  The  following  evils  are  to  be  deplored  :  1.  Languor 
in  prayer;  2.  Deficiency  of  foith ;  3.  Want  of  brotherly  love ;  4.  Con- 
fidence in  means;  5.  Want  of  self-denial;  6.  Worldly-mindedness ; 
7.  Ingratitude  for  past  mercies ;  8.  Indecision ;  9.  Inconstancy  of 
feeling. 

October  19.  Feel  some  quickening  in  prayer.  Can  get  a  little  nearer 
the  throne.  It  seems  as  if  the  tempter  had  permission  to  vex  and 
worry  me  to  his  heart's  content.  He  spares  no  effort  to  keep  me  away 
from  a  throne  of  grace,  and  when  I  bow  before  the  Lord,  he  is  around 
me  and  within  me,  disturbing  my  thoughts,  drawing  away  my  mind 
from  God,  and  thrusting  in  sceptical  suggestions.  I  experience  more 
of  his  temptations  when  on  my  knees  than  everywhere  else.  Lord,, 
grant  me  grace  to  resist  the  devil. 

October  29.  Preached  last  evening  in  the  vestry,  from  John  vi.  45. 
More  men  than  usual  at  the  meeting.  All  very  attentive.  For  two 
weeks  I  have  felt  great  solicitude  for  the  young  men  in  my  parish,  that 
they  might  hear  the  truth  with  profit,  and,  learning  of  the  Father,  they 
might  come  to  the  Son,  be  useful  in  his  church,  and  glorify  him  here- 
after. For  the  pupils  in  the  Sabbath  school  I  have  been  unusually  in- 
terested. They  are  light  and  thoughtless.  O  God,  change  their  hearts, 
and  bring  them  to  the  arms  of  Jesus,  that  he  may  bless  them.  One  of 
the  lambs  of  my  flock  has  died  the  past  week.  Help  me,  O  Lord,  to 
improve  this  providence  for  the  good  of  the  children. 

November  15.  Perplexed  and  disturbed  by  another  invitation  to  re- 
move. The  call  now  is  unanimous  and  persistent  from  Portland. 
Within  sixteen  months  I  have  refused  applications  from  several  places. 

December  15.  Sent  a  negative  reply  to  Portland.  My  trial  and  per- 
plexity in  ascertaining  duty  have  been  severe,  but  a  kind  Providence 
has  marked  out  my  course  with  sufficient  clearness,  and  I  have  con- 
cluded to  continue  with  this  dear  people.  They  are  doing  all  in  tiicir 
power  to  sustain  the  interest,  and  it  appears;  should  I  abandon  them,  it 
must  seriously  suffer. 


78  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOAV. 

December  31,  Saturday  evening.  In  a  few  short  hours  the  year  1831 
will  have  finished  its  course.  My  labors  the  past  year  have  been  many. 
In  not  a  few  instances,  here  and  elsewhere,  have  they  been  made  useful 
by  the  special  blessing  of  God.  May  I  not  hope  that  yet  other  fruit 
will  appear  ?     To  God  be  all  the  glory. 

1832. 

January  1,  1832.  A  monument  of  divine  mercy  I  come  to  thee,  O  God, 
and  dedicate  myself  anew  to  thy  service.  Thirteen  years  ago  yesterday 
I  was  baptized  upon  a  profession  of  faith.  What  little  progress  have  I 
made  in  the  divine  art  of  holy  living!  I  now  come  to  thee  to  acknowl- 
edge my  dependence,  and  to  take  thy  Son,  with  fresh  faith,  as  my 
Teacher,  Priest,  and  King.  On  his  merits  I  repose  my  soul,  my  all ; 
in  him,  and  him  only,  would  I  hope. 

January  5.  Delivered  an  address  last  evening  before  the  Mechanics' 
Association,  on  "aristocracy."  A  large  and  attentive  audience.  Have 
since  felt  not  a  little  mortified  on  a  review  of  the  exercises.  I  fear  I 
may  have  done  injury  to  the  cause  of  Christianity  by  indulging  my  pro- 
pensity for  satire. 

February  10.  My  mind  has  sweet  peace,  trusting  God.  Have  some 
comfort  in  prayer.  It  seems  as  if  God  really  listened  to  my  petitions. 
O  that  I  may  be  fully  recovered  from  my  backslidden  state,  enjoy  again 
the  light  of  the  divine  countenance,  find  duty  a  delight,  preach,  and 
live  more  exclusively  for  Christ. 

February  17.  Heard  of  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Cornelius,  corre- 
sponding secretary  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  For- 
eign Missions.  He  was  a  great  man,  and  eminently  good.  O,  my  soul, 
prepare  to  meet  thy  God ! 

February  27.  Returned  from  Boston,  to  which  place  I  went  this  day 
week  to  assist  my  dear  Brother  Knovvles  in  a  "  four  days'  meeting."  I 
hope  our  labors  were  with  profit,  through  grace.  The  friends  of  the 
Second  Church  were  exceedingly  kind  —  too  much  so  to  me.  Besides 
my  expenses  they  presented  me  with  the  gift  of  seventy  dollars  —  a  free- 
will offering.  Honestly  I  can  say  for  no  part  of  this  did  I  visit  or  labor 
with  them.     The  Lord  reward  their  manifold  kindness. 

February  29.  Reading  the  Life  of  Thomas  Scott,  author  of  the 
Commentary.  Much  interested  in  its  developments  of  internal  charac- 
ter. He  entered  the  ministry  September  22,  1772.  His  motives,  he 
says,  were  these  :  — 

"1.  A  desire  of  a  less  laborious  and  more  comfortable  way  of  pro- 
curing a  maintenance  than  otherwise  I  had  a  prospect  of.  [He  we.s 
previously  a  grazier.] 

"2.  The  expectation  of  more  leisure  to  employ  in  reading,  of  which 
I  was  inordinately  fond. 


JOUKNAL.  79 

•'  3.  A  proud  conceit  of  ray  abilities,  witli  a  vain-glorious  imagination 
that  I  should  some  time  distinguish  and  advance  myself  in  the  literary 
world.     These  were  my  ruling  motives  in  taking  this  bold  step." 

After  reading  these  confessions  I  felt  constrained  to  examine  my  own 
motives  in  entering  the  ministry.  Of  a  trutli,  I  find  much  to  condemn. 
Still  I  cannot  ascertain  that  I  was  influenced  in  the  least  by  any  of  the 
considerations  suggested  by  Mr.  Scott.  I  am  aware  I  never  loved  man- 
ual labor  —  generally  avoided  it  when  practicable.  This  was  not  occa- 
sioned by  any  love  of  idleness.  It  was  owing  to  an  unconquerable 
thirst  for  knowledge.  I  loved  books  better.  But  for  a  whole  year  pre- 
vious to  my  first  thoughts  about  the  ministry,  I  had  fully  made  up  my 
mind  to  seek  a  livelihood,  yea,  even  wealth,  by  agriculture.  I  formed 
plans  which  are  now  fresh  in  my  memory,  and  I  became  quite  ambitious 
to  carry  them  into  splendid  execution.  There  are,  probably,  a  hundred 
persons  in  Newport  who  will  never  tiiink  otherwise  tlian  that  I  entered 
this  most  holy  work  because  I  was  too  indolent  to  labor  on  a  farm.  In 
this,  however,  I  honestly  aver  that  they  were  mistaken.  Neither  do  J 
discover  that  either  of  the  two  motives  named  by  Mr.  Scott  had  any  in- 
fluence upon  me  at  the  time.  I  think  I  then  felt  an  ardent  love  for  souls, 
a  desire  to  consecrate  myself  wholly  to  the  Lord's  service.  I  can  easily 
perceive  that  I  did  not  sufficiently  reflect  upon  the  subject,  or  pray  over 
it,  as  I  should  have  done.  One  selfish  consideration  often  had  too  much 
weight  with  me.  I  greatly  dreaded  the  probability  of  spiritual  declen- 
sion, and  thought  the  studies  preparatory  to  the  ministry,  and  the  duties 
of  the  sacred  office,  would  be  effectual  safeguards  against  backsliding. 
How  little  did  I  then  know  of  the  human  heart,  or  of  my  own!  how 
little  of  the  temptations  to  which  those  very  studies  and  duties  would 
subject  me ! 

September  4.  Self-examination  makes  terrible  havoc  of  my  hopes. 
It  shows  me  more  and  more  the  stability  of  the  foundation,  but  compels 
me  to  doubt  whether  I  ever  have  reposed  true  confidence  thereon. 
Tlu!  shipwrecked  mariner  knows,  when  his  feet  are  planted  on  "  terra 
firma,"  he  has  the  evidence  of  sensation ;  but  in  spiritual  things  there 
is  no  such  certainty.  I  know  Christ  is  a  rock,  and  if  I  build  upon  him 
I  shall  never  be  confounded.  But  the  evidence  of  so  building  is  not 
found  in  my  feelings  and  impressions,  but  in  the  course  of  conduct  pur- 
sued as  a  consequence.  "What  is  my  manner  of  life?  I  would  search 
myself  throughout. 

September  28.  Just  returned  from  Portland,  where  I  assisted  in  or- 
daining Brother  John  S.  Maginnis  as  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
Gave  him  the  charge,  and  preached  in  the  evening. 

October  IG.  Brother  Knowles  has  resigned  his  pastorate  of  the 
Second  Baptist  Church  in  Boston,  and  accepted  his  appointment  as  pro- 


80  MEMOIR    OF    DK.    STOW. 

fessor  at  Newton.  Letters  from  him  and  others  inform  mc  that  I  shall 
probably  be  invited  by  that  church  and  society  to  become  his  successor. 
However  flattering  may  be  such  a  proposition,  it  will  place  me  in  truly 
perplexing  and  trying  circumstances.  With  the  feeble  interest  here 
I  have  become  almost  wholly  identified,  and  the  thought  of  leaving  is 
very  painful.  There  is  but  one  object  on  earth  that  I  love  as  I  do  this 
church  and  its  welfare.  "  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?  "  If  I 
can  live  here,  and  survive  my  many  and  crushing  embarrassments,  1  feel 
I  must.  Into  thy  hands,  my  Master,  I  will  endeavor  to  surrender  my- 
self, willing  to  be  guided  "'bj'  thine  unerring  wisdom."  It  matters  little 
what  I  am,  or  where,  if  I  am  only  in  the  path  of  dutj'. 

October  19.  The  dreaded  invitation  has  at  length  arrived,  and  tlie 
question  is  before  me  —  Shall  I  go  or  stay  ?  Duty  must  be  done.  What 
that  duty  is,  I  am  not  yet  able  to  decide.  I  need  wisdom  from  above  — 
that  wisdom  which  is  profitable  to  direct.  O  God,  be  thou  ray  guide, 
even  unto  death. 

October  24.  The  case  is  decided.  I  have  asked  and  received  a  dis- 
mission from  my  present  charge,  and  shall  soon  remove  to  Boston.  A 
bold  and  important  step.  I  believe  it  to  be  in  accordance  with  the  divine 
will.  The  way  seems  plain,  and  I  trust  the  Lord  will  enable  me  to  go 
forward  in  it,  confiding  in  him.     His  grace  is  sufficient  for  me. 

October  28.  Concluded  my  labors  with  this  dear  peojile.  Preached 
my  last  sermon  this  afternoon.  A  solemn  occasion.  O  that  it  may 
prove  a  profitable  season ! 

The  extracts  thus  given  cover  the  entire  period  of  his 
ministry  in  Portsmouth.  Following  his  own  suggestion, 
and  wishing  to  escape  the  criticism  to  Avhich  reference  has 
already  been  made,  the  writer  has  let  the  subject  of  this 
Memoir  present  the  great  focts  of  his  history  in  his  own 
language.  No  words  we  could  use  could  convey  a  better 
idea  of  his_  outer  and  inner  life,  while  he  was  performing  the 
work  intrusted  to  his  hands  during  the  first  five  years  of 
his  ministry.  The  question  of  dissolving  the  relations  which 
he  had  sustained  to  his  people  was  one  Avhich  deeply  touched 
his  sensitive  spirit.  Besides  laying  the  matter  before  Him 
to  whom  he  was  Avont  to  repair  in  all  the  emergencies 
of  life,  he  took  counsel  of  his  brethren.  The  following  let- 
ters from  two  of  his  brethren  in  the  ministry,  for  whom  he 
felt  the  most  sincere  regard,  may  with  propriety  be  intro* 
duced  here. 


LETTEIl   FROM    PROFESSOR   KXOWLES.  81 

Boston,  September  22,  1832. 

Dear  Brother  Stoav  :  I  have  designed  to  write  to  you,  but  I  havo 
been  so  much  occupied  by  the  distressing  crisis  in  wiiich  I  liave  been 
placed,  and  I  have  so  confidently  expected  a  visit  from  you,  that  I  have 
not  written.  I  have  been  passing  througli  deep  waters,  but  I  have  at 
length  arrived  at  firm  footing.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  I  havo  become 
fully  persuaded  of  my  duty  to  leave  my  present  post.  My  health  is 
not  as  good  as  when  I  first  returned,  and  I  am  abundantly  convinced 
that  if  I  am  to  be  saved  to  my  fiimily  and  to  the  cause,  I  must  throw  otf 
the  "  load  would  sink  a  navy."  The  necessity  of  another  professor  at 
Newton  is  imperative.  Professor  Chase  must  be  absent  this  winter,  or 
he  will  die ;  and  to  leave  the  institute  Avith  but  one  professor  would  im- 
peril the  best  interests  of  the  seminary. 

I  have  accordingly  been  appointed  professor.  I  have  presented  my 
resignation  to  the  church  and  society.  The  former  have  accepted  it, 
and  the  latter  probably  will  to-morrow.  After  the  1st  of  October,  there- 
fore, I  shall  no  longer  be  pastor  of  the  Second  Baptist  Church.  The 
result  has  given  me  great  pain,  and  my  people  feel  deeply  grieved. 
Some  are  unreconciled,  and  a  few,  perhaps,  will  leave  the  church  and 
society.  But  there  is  a  general  conviction  that  God  has  decided  the 
question,  and  that  our  plain  duty  is  to  acquiesce.  There  will,  I  trust, 
be  harmony  still,  and  God  will,  I  hope,  guide  them  to  the  speedy  choice 
of  another  pastor. 

On  whom  they  will  fix  their  choice  I  cannot  tell.  There  will,  un- 
doubtedly, be  preferences  for  diflerent  individuals ;  but  I  think  that  you 
will  be  more  likely  to  receive  their  choice  than  any  other  person.  God's 
providence  has  brouglit  you  to  the  notice  of  my  people,  and  has  attracted 
towards  you  their  aflections  in  a  remarkable  degree.  He  has,  too,  re- 
served you  at  Portsmouth  in  a  way  which  has  always  seemed  to  me  in- 
dicative of  some  important  design.  You  will  probably  be  requested,  at 
any  rate,  to  come  and  preach  as  a  candidate;  and  if  so  requested,  you 
must  come,  and  if  invited  to  become  their  pastor,  you  must  consent.  You 
cannot  in  such  a  case  mistake  the  will  of  God.  Whether  you  will  be 
able  to  sustain  the  duties  here  is  a  serious  question ;  but  with  your  ex- 
perience and  your  stock  of  sermons,  you  may,  I  think,  with  prudence 
labor  here  a  few  years  at  least. 

The  Lord  bless  and  guide  you,  my  dear  brother.     Our. time  is  short. 
Let  us  do  with  our  might  what  our  hand  findeth  to  do. 
Your  affectionate  fellow-servant, 

J.  D.  Knowles. 

Mr.  Stow  seriously  objected,  under  the  circumstances,  to 
preach  as  a  candidate,  and  actually  declined  to  do  so.    Ap- 
pealing to  his  friend  Dr.  Sharp    as  to  the  propriety  of  the 
6 


82  MEMOIK   OF   DR.    STOW. 

course  be  pursued,  he  received  the  following  reply  to  his 

letter :  — 

Boston,  October  9,  1832. 

My  dear  Brother:  I  was  unexpectedly  called  out  of  town  yester- 
day, or  I  should  have  answered  your  letter.  I  have  not  seen  Mr.  Beals, 
but  I  had  a  confidential  conversation  with  Mr.  Knowles  on  Saturday.  I 
learned  fi-om  him  that  the  brethren  approved  of  the  course  you  had 
pursued,  and  the  motives  which  they  supposed  influenced  you  in  refus- 
ing to  supply  them  as  a  candidate.  My  impression  is,  that  the  brethren 
are  satisfied;  but  they  thought  then,  and  probably  think  now,  that,  were 
it  expedient  on  your  part,  it  would  be  desirable  that  the  congregation 
should  be  better  acquainted  with  you  before  they  proceeded  to  nominate 
you  as  their  future  pastor.  This,  no  doubt,  would  secure  universal  har- 
mony of  action.  I  understand,  however,  that  you  will  be  invited  to 
preach,  with  the  expressed  hope  that  you  will  become  their  pastor. 
This  will  be  an  event  deeply  interesting,  both  to  yourself  and  tD  your 
people.  I  can  only  say  that,  in  view  of  all  the  circumstances  in  the 
case,  I  trust  you  will  be  enabled,  in  the  fear  of  God,  to  do  what  will  be 
best  for  your  own  happiness  and  for  the  cause  which  you  profess  to  love. 

"Were  your  affairs  prosperous  at  Portsmouth,  I  would  remain.  But  it 
has  appeared  to  me  that  a  man  of  inferior,  but  of  different  talents  from 
yourself,  might,  perhaps,  succeed  you  to  advantage.  1  consider  your 
relation  to  the  churches  in  Kew  Hampshire  more  important  than  your 
relation  to  the  church  in  Portsmouth.  How  that  deficiency  would  be 
supplied  I  am  at  a  loss  to  know.  I  fear  tliat  many  interests  that  are 
dear  to  you  would  suffer.  Still,  a  man  cannot  for  any  length  of  time 
be  useful  abroad,  if  he  is  harassed  and  perplexed  at  home. 

Should  it,  in  view  of  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  appear  to  be 
your  duty  to  accept  the  invitation  which  will  be  given  you  to  settle  as 
pastor  of  the  Second  Baptist  Church  in  Boston,  I  can  only  say  that  I 
shall  rejoice  in  the  event,  and  cordially  welcome  you  as  a  fellow-laborer 
in  our  Master's  vineyard.  With  the  brethren  in  the  vicinit}'  you  are 
ac;iuainted.  Your  knowledge  of  them  will  be  a  sufficient  pledge  of  the 
kind  intercourse  you  will  enjoy  by  being  in  their  neighborhood.  May 
the  Lord  direct  you  in  this  and  in  all  your  other  concerns. 

With  kind  regards  to  Mrs.  Stow,  in  which  my  wife  unites, 
1  am,  dear  brother,  affectionately  yours, 

Daniel  Sharp. 

A  few  days  after  this  date,  Professor  Knowles  wrote  a 

BGCond  letter  to  his  friend. 

Kewton,  October  14,  1832. 

Dear  Brother  :  You  perceive  by  the  date  that  the  agony  is  over, 
and  that  I  have  torn  myself  away  from  my  church  and  congregation. 


REV.   DANIEL    SHARP,   D,  D. 


LETTER   FKOM    PROFESSOR   KNOWLES.  83 

The  struggle  has  been  severe.  Had  I  known  what  it  wouhl  have  cost 
me,  and  been  aware  how  much  some  of  my  people  would  suffer  by  my 
removal,  I  could  not,  I  think,  have  determined  to  go.  But  the  step  has 
been  taken,  and,  whether  for  good  or  evil,  it  is  now  irrevocable.  My 
conviction  remains  unshaken  that  it  was  required  by  a  prudent  regard 
for  my  own  iiealth  and  my  future  usefulness.  I  feel,  too,  that  there  is 
here  a  post  of  great  responsibility,  where  I  may  serve  Zion  more  ex- 
tensively than  in  any  pastorship ;  and  the  existence  almost  of  the  insti- 
tution required  another  officer  here  at  this  juncture.  Yet  I  feel  that  the 
l)astoris  the  most  important  man  on  earth,  and  I  have  made  many  great 
sacrifices  by  coming  hither.  The  Lord  grant  me  grace  and  wisdom, 
that  I  may  perform  my  duties  faithfully  and  usefully.  Pray  for  me, 
dear  brother. 

I  should  have  written  to  you  on  the  subject  of  your  last  letter,  but 
the  bustle  and  cxcilement  of  my  removal  have  prevented  me.  I  see  the 
force  of  your  objection  to  supplying  the  pulpit  under  existing  circum- 
stances. 1  approve  of  your  decision,  and  believe  that  it  has  raised  j'our 
character  in  the  estimation  of  the  church.  Yet  it  was  well  to  give  you 
the  invitation,  because  some  would  not  have  been  willing  to  act  in  your 
favor  if  the  attempt  had  not  been  made  to  give  them  an  opportunity  to 
hear  you  further.  It  need  not,  and  ought  not,  to  mortify  you  that  the 
people  are  not  ready  to  invite  you  to  become  their  pastor  witliout  know- 
ing \'0U  better.  There  are,  I  presume,  hundreds  in  our  congregation 
who  would  not  know  you  if  you  should  enter  the  pulpit.  They  hear  so 
many  preachers  that  they  take  no  notice  of  any  particular  individual 
unless  they  hear  him  very  often. 

The  church,  however,  I  understand,  have  voted  to  invite  30U  to  be- 
come their  pastor,  provided  that  the  society  concur.  Many  of  the 
church  have  been  unwilling  to  invito  you  without  hearing  you  more, 
and  some  are  opposed  to  calling  a  jiastor  from  his  people.  But  our 
church  are  accustomed  to  act  together,  and  those  who  felt  objections 
have  acquiesced  in  the  will  of  the  majority.  AVhether  the  society  will 
concur  is  not  certain.  They  are  less  acquainted  with  you  than  the 
church  are.  I  hear  of  no  objections,  except  the  want  of  knowledge  of 
your  qualifications.  I  have  no  fears  that  you  will  fail  to  satisfy  them 
all,  when  j-ou  have  had  sufficient  opportunities.  You  ought  to  consider 
a  call  from  such  a  church  and  congregation  as  a  strong  intimation  of 
God's  will.  You  will  find  them,  if  you  come,  a  kind  people.  Trials 
you  nmst  expect,  and  labors  beyond  measure.  If  you  consulted  your 
own  case,  and  the  prolongation  of  your  life,  you  would  not  come.  No 
one  who  has  been  a  pastor  in  Boston  would  choose  the  station  again, 
honorable,  and  in  many  respects  pleasant,  as  it  is.  But  we  are  not  our 
own,  and  have  no  right  to  choose  our  place  of  labor  or  of  rest.    "  Lord, 


b-l  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?"  is  the  only  question  for  us.  You  will 
come  under  many  advantages,  and  I  pray  that  you  may  be  sustained 
for  many  years,  and  made  a  blessing  to  thousands. 

We  are  not  yet  settled  here,  and  cannot  form  a  judgment  respect- 
ing our  prospects  of  personal  comfort;  but  "the  Lord  reigneth;  let 
the  earth  rejoice." 

Professor  Chase  will  perhaps  go  to  Italy  and  Greece  to  spend  the 
winter.     Our  love  to  Mrs.  Stow. 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

James  D.  Kxowles. 

B.  Stow. 

The  following  communication,  iDrepared  by  Rev.  W.  Lam- 
son,  D.  D.,  of  Brookline,  Mass.,  who  for  several  years  Avas 
the  pastor  of  the  church  in  Portsmouth,  properly  finds  a 
jjlace  at  this  stage  of  the  Memoir :  — 

Dr.  Stow's  Ministry  in  Portsmouth,  N.  H. 

My  dear  Brother  Stockbridge  :  In  response  to  your  request 
for  a  paper  on  Dr.  Stow's  ministry  in  Portsmouth,  I  must  express  my 
regret  that  I  can  do  little  more  than  record  general  impressions.  It 
was  my  privilege  to  hear  only  one  sermon  from  him  during  his  minis- 
try there,  but  that  made  a  profound  impression  on  me.  The  text  I  have 
forgotten,  and  the  theme;  and  I  only  remember  that  the  crucifixion  was 
so  vividly  painted,  that  I  —  a  lad  then  —  felt  as  though  I  had  actually 
seen  it. 

Many  years  after  that,  in  1848,  I  accepted  a  call  to  the  pastorate  of 
the  same  church  in  Portsmouth  to  which  he  had  ministered.  Sixteen 
years  had  passed  since  he  had  finished  his  labors  there,  and  during  those 
years  the  church  had  had  a  succession  of  good  and  able  pastors ;  but,  as 
I  became  acquainted  with  the  people,  I  found  it  was  his^  ministry 
that  was  most  vividly  and  affectionately  remembered,  and  that  not  by 
his  own  people  alone,  but  by  the  whole  community,  he  was  held  in  the 
highest  esteem.  It  was  in  1827  that  Baron  Stow  received  and  accepted 
the  invitation  to  settle  in  Portsmouth.  There  was  little  there  to  attract 
an  aspiring  man  in  the  condition  or  prospects  of  the  church.  It  had 
been  but  recently  constituted ;  its  members  were  few,  and  its  resources 
were  limited.  What  there  was  to  draw  a  young  man  of  brilliant  talents 
and  of  good  education  in  the  little  handful  of  Baptists  who  then  consti- 
tuted the  church,  we  may  not  be  able  to  see.  But  Portsmoutli  was  in 
his  native  state,  and  was  the  seaport  of  the  state.  Its  population  was 
but  a  little  rising  eight  thousand;  yet  it  was,  as  it  over  since  has  been, 
distinguished  for  the  general  refinement  and  culture  of  its  citizens.  The 


REMINISCENCES    BY    DK.    LAMSON.  85 

learned  professions  at  that  time  embraced  some  wlio  were  just  rising 
into  distinction,  and  who  afterwards  became  eminent.  In  tlic  law  were 
such  men  as  Jorcmiaii  Mason,  Ichabod  Bartlett,  Levi  AVoodbury,  Est- 
wicke  Evans,  and  W.  II.  T.  llackett.  In  the  ministry  were  Charles 
Biu-roushs,  Israel  W.  Tutnam,  and  Nathan  Parker,  and  others.  Per- 
luqis  tiiere  was  no  town  in  New  England,  of  its  size,  wiiere  the  standard 
of  j^eneral  culture  was  highor,  or  in  which  there  were  more  men  of 
eminent  intellectual  power.  And  then  the  town  was  finely  located  at 
the  mouth  of  a  noble  river,  and  abounded  in  historic  associations. 
These  attractions,  added  to  the  hope  of  seeing  the  little  obscure  band 
of  Baptists  grow  in  strength  and  prominence,  decided  the  young  and  elo- 
quent preacher  to  accept  the  call.  At  that  time  the  church  numbered 
but  thirty,  and  only  eight  male  members.  The  old  "  Pitts  Street 
Chapel,"  as  it  was  called,  was  the  place  of  worship.  Through  the  cour- 
tesy of  the  proprietors  of  the  "South  Meeting-house,"  Baron  Stow 
was  ordained  to  the  Christian  ministry  in  that  more  spacious  edifice, 
and  installed  as  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church.  The  little  church  gave 
him  their  affection,  their  sympathy,  and  their  cooperation,  and  he 
thrilled  and  delighted  them  every  Sabbath  by  his  earnest  and  eloquent 
sermons.  Tiiere  were  no  men  of  large  resources  among  them,  but 
there  were  some  of  large  hearts  and  strong  faith.  Led  and  stimulated 
by  their  pastor,  this  little  band  conceived  and  executed  the  bold  project 
of  building  one  of  the  most  beautiful  churches  in  the  state,  in  perhaps 
the  most  eligible  lot  in  the  town.  The  house  was  erected  in  1828.  And 
now  the  young  preacher  had  a  fit  place  in  which  to  deliver  his  messages. 
At  his  Sabbath  evening  services  the  house  was  thronged,  and  among  his 
hearers  were  many  of  the  most  cultivated  and  intellectual  from  all  the 
congregations.  His  popularity  as  a  man  and  a  preacher  steadily  in- 
creased. He  became  an  active  member  of  a  forensic  club,  and  made 
his  mark  there.  He  was  made  welcome  in  many  homes  beyond  the 
limits  of  his  own  parish.  Without  compromising  one  iota  of  his  de- 
nomin.itional  views,  he  was  tlie  cheerful  companion  and  the  agreeable 
guest  of  those  who,  theologically,  differed  widely  from  him.  Attracted 
to  hear  him  by  his  fervor  and  eloquence,  they  were  certain  to  listen  to 
the  most  evangelical  doctrines  and  the  most  pungent  appeals. 

But  his  ministry  was  not  merely  popular  —  it  was,  in  the  best  sense, 
effective.  The  church  grew  in  spiritual  strength,  in  Cliristian  zeal,  and 
in  numbers  to  the  very  close  of  his  labors  among  them.  It  was  a  bright 
and  happy  period  in  the  history  of  the  church,  when,  with  their  almost 
idolized  preacher,  they  entered  their  new  place  of  worship.  The  strug- 
gle was  over.  They  had  a  home.  The  question  was  settled.  They  were 
to  live.  They  seemed  just  about  to  receive  the  reward  of  their  anxieties, 
and  toils,  and  sacrifices.     But  after  a  short  season  of  this  enjoyment 


86  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOAV. 

and  hope,  the  blow  came  which  almost  crushed  them.  The  Baldwin 
Place  pulpit,  Boston,  was  vacant.  The  church  was  nearly  a  century 
old,  and  had  been  ministered  to  by  Baldwin  and  Knowles  as  its  latest 
pastors.  It  was  the  Baptist  church  in  the  state.  In  looking  over  the 
whole  denomination,  their  eye  could  rest  on  no  one  but  the  popular 
preacher  of  Portsmouth.  It  was  hard  for  the  little  church,  then  stagger- 
ing under  a  heavy  debt,  exhausted  by  the  mighty  effort  they  had  made, 
and  resting  all  their  hopes,  under  God,  in  their  pastor,  to  be  deprived  of 
him.  It  was  felt  to  be  so.  Baldwin  Place  acknowledged  it.  But,  then, 
Boston  was  the  centre.  It  was  the  place  for  the  best  gifts.  Mr.  Stow's 
influence  would  be  increased  many  fold.  The  call  was  unanimous  and 
imperative.  It  was  accepted,  and  the  little  flock  in  Portsmouth,  bereft 
of  tlicir  shepherd,  mourned  as  one  that  mourneth  for  an  only  son. 

It  has  been  said  that  Baldwin  Place  is  where  Baron  Stow  did  his  great 
work,  and  exhibited  his  great  power.  And  it  was  tliere  that  the  largest 
crowds  of  ''  admiring,  tearful,  penitent,  converted  hearers  hung  upon 
his  lips."  He  was  in  tlie  prime  of  his  manhood.  He  knew  his  strengtli. 
Preacliing  was  no  longer  an  experiment.  He  was  at  home  in  the  pulpit. 
Measured  by  popularity,  by  the  number  who  attended  his  ministry,  or 
by  immediate  results,  Baldwin  Place  was  the  theatre  of  his  noblest  ex- 
ploits. But  it  may  be  doubted  if  he  was  ever  more  beloved,  or  ever 
happier,  than  during  the  brief  period  that  he  ministered  to  his  little 
Portsmouth  flock. 

In  just  five  years  his  ministry  there  closed.  Ordained  October  24, 
1827,  he  took  leave  of  them  October  24,  1832.  The  fruits  of  his  minis- 
try remain  to  this  day.  No  subsequent  pastor  lias  been  able  to  fill  tlie 
place  which  he  filled  in  the  hearts  of  the  older  members  of  that  church. 
The  house  built  for  him  still  stands,  reconstructed  and  made  more 
beautiful,  and  is  filled  each  Sabbath  with  an  earnest  and  vigorous  con- 
gregation. Scattered  among  this  congregation  are  a  few,  a  little  rem- 
nant, of  those  who,  forty  years  ago,  saw  tlie  "  electric  flash  of  his  eye," 
and  listened  to  the  tones  of  his  magic  voice.  But  by  far  the  greater 
number  preceded  him  to  the  spirit  world,  and  these  will  soon  follow. 

William  Lam  son. 

Brookline,  October,  1870. 


BALDWIN    PLACE    CHURCH,    BOSTON. 


BALDWIN    PLACE    CHURCH.  87 


CHAPTER    VII. 

Sketch  of  the  History  of  the  Baldwin  Place  Church.  —  Peb« 
soNAL  Reminiscences.  —  Installation.  —  Success  in  his  AVork. 
—  Journal. 

1832-1834. 

A  BRIEF  glance  at  the  history  of  the  Baldv/m  Place 
Church,  to  Avhich  Mr.  Stow  had  been  called,  and  to  which  he 
gave  the  best  energies  of  his  ministerial  life,  will  not  be 
deemed  out  of  place.  The  occasion  of  its  formation  was  the 
dissatisfliction  of  quite  a  number  of  the  members  of  the  First 
Baptist  Church  with  the  preaching  of  the  pastor.  Rev.  .Jer- 
emiah Condy,  whom  they  regarded  as  not  "somid  in  the 
faith."  The  church  was  organized  July  27,  1743,  and  was 
known  as  the  Second  Baptist  Church  of  Boston.  Its  first 
])astors  Avere  Rev.  Ephraim  Bownd,  Rev.  John  Davis,  Rev. 
Isaac  Skillman,  D.  D.,  and  Rev.  Thomas  Gair.  The  death 
of  Mr.  Gair,  a  young  man  of  great  promise,  was  a  sad  blow 
to  the  church.  A  few  months  after  his  decease,  the  church 
invited  Rev,  Thomas  Baldwin,  D.  D.,  to  become  his  suc- 
cessor. During  his  pastorate  of  thirty-five  years,  eight  hun- 
dred and  twenty-six  persons  united  with  the  church.  The 
ministry  of  Dr.  Baldwin  was  an  eminently  successful  one, 
and  the  infiuence  of  his  preaching,  and  his  holy  example,  still 
remain  in  the  venerable  church  over  which,  for  so  many  years, 
he  presided.  He  was  succeeded  in  the  pastoral  ofiice  by 
Rev.  James  D.  Knowles,  who  retired,  at  the  end  of  seven 
years,  to  enter  upon  tlie  duties  of  professor  in  the  Newton 
Theological  Institution,  where  he  remained  until  removed  by 
death,  May  9,  1838. 


bo  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

The  cliurch,  being  once  more  destitute  of  a  minister,  begau 
to  think  about  a  successor  to  Professor  Knowles.  The  suc- 
cess which  had  followed  Mr.  Stow  in  Portsmouth,  and  his 
marked  ability  as  a  preacher,  Avere  well  known  to  them. 
"While  tlicy  believed  that  a  wider,  and  j^erhaps  more  fruitful 
field  would  be  opened  to  him  in  Boston  than  he  was  now 
occupying,  yet  many  of  the  church  conscientiously  held  the 
opinion  that  it  is  wrong  to  call  a  pastor  from  another  church, 
wliere  his  relations  are  all  j^leasant,  and  they  were  opposed 
to  taking  any  action  which  might  sever  the  tie  which  bound 
the  Portsmouth  pastor  to  his  church  and  society.  There 
was,  however,  one  man  among  the  members  of  the  Baldwin 
Place  Church,  of  great  force  of  character  and  strength  of 
will,  who  was  attached  to  his  church,  and  who  was  inclined 
to  adopt  the  more  modern  theory  that  a  good  minister,  wher- 
ever found,  is  a  lawful  prize.  This  was  Deacon  Ezra  Cham- 
berlain. In  company  Avith  one  or  two  brethren,  he  visited 
Portsmouth,  and  had  a  frank,  fraternal  conversation  with  Mr. 
Stow,  and  discovered  Avhat  the  state  of  his  feelings  was,  as  it 
has  been  revealed  in  the  extracts  which  we  have  already  laid 
before  the  reader.  The  church  of  which  he  was  the  pastor, 
with  all  the  spiritual  prosperity  which  had  attended  it,  was 
crippled  in  its  resources,  and  it  seemed  exceedingly  difficult 
to  get  out  of  the  straits  in  which  they  found  themselves. 
Calling  together  a  few  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  church, 
Deacon  Chamberlain  asked  them  in  a  plain,  business-like  way, 
what  it  would  cost  to  remove  their  debt,  and  put  their  meet- 
ing-house in  repair.  He  then,  in  an  equally  frank  way,  stated 
tlie  great  importance  of  securing  at  once  a  pastor  for  the 
Baldwin  Place  Church;  that  he  had  no  doubt  Mr.  Stow 
would  receive  a  unanimous  vote,  if  he  would  consent  to  be  a 
candidate ;  that  he  would  be  more  comfortably  j^rovided  for 
than  he  could  be  in  Portsmouth ;  and  he  pleaded  with  tliem 
to  release  liira  from  liis  pastoral  connection,  pledging  himself, 
at  the  same  time,  to  endeavor  to  raise  a  sufficient  sum  to  pay 
off  all  their  liabilities,  and  put  their  place  of  worship  in  per- 
fect repair. 


EAKLY    MIXISTRY    IN    BOSTON.  89 

Returning  to  Boston,  Deacon  Chnmbeilain  called  together 
some  of  his  brethren,  and  related  to  them  tlie  circumstances 
connected  with  his  visit  to  Portsmouth.  "Now,"  said  he, 
"  bretliren,  we  must  open  our  purses,  and  raise  what  is  re- 
quired to  ])ay  the  debt  of  the  Portsmouth  churcli,  and  repair 
the  meeting-liouse."  There  was  a  cheerful  response  to  this 
demand,  and  the  sum  needed  —  which,  as  we  shall  hereafter 
see,  was  one  thousand  dollars,  and  which,  in  those  days,  was 
no  inconsiderable  sum  —  was  in  due  time  subscribed,  and  the 
church  at  Portsmouth,  not  without  the  severest  pang  of 
regret,  consented  to  relinquish  their  claim  on  their  pastor. 
The  sorrow  at  parting  was  mutual,  and  there  never  ceased  to 
be  the  warmest  affection,  the  one  for  the  other. 

A  letter  written  by  Dr.  Stow,  and  read  at  a  large  gathering 
of  the  members,  past  and  present,  of  the  Baldwin  Place 
Church,  Feb.  13,  1865,  is  full  of  pleasant  reminiscences  of  the 
early  days  of  his  ministry  in  Boston.  The  church  were  about 
to  abandon  the  old  sanctuary,  around  Avhich  clustered  so 
many  holy  associations,  and  the  letter,  of  which  we  quote  a 
part,  was  j^repared  by  him  as  his  contribution  to  the  memorial 
services. 

Coming  direct  from  my  New  Hampshire  home,  one  hundred  miles 
away,  I  first  entered  Boston  June  19,  1822,  and  stopped  with  Dr.  Bald- 
win, then  residing  in  the  large  wooden  house  at  the  north-west  corner 
of  Portland  and  Hanover  Streets.  To  see  that  godly  veteran  had  long 
been  my  desire.  When  he  resided  in  Canaan,  N.  H.,  he  had  often 
preached  in  my  native  town ;  and  I  had  heard  the  older  people  speak 
warmly  of  his  sermons  in  private  dwellings,  in  barns,  and  in  orchards, 
and  of  his  baptizing  the  converted  in  streams,  which  had  to  me,  on  that 
account,  a  special  sacredness.  I  had  read  everything  from  his  pen  that 
came  in  my  way,  and  especially  the  quarterly  numbers  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Baptist  Missionary  Magazine,  of  which,  for  many  years,  he  was 
sole  editor.  One  of  his  printed  sermons,  read  by  my  fiither  to  his  fam- 
ily on  a  Sabbath  evening,  made  a  deep  impression  upon  my  mind,  and 
was  never  forgotten. 

The  man  of  God,  upon  whose  hospitality  I  had  no  claim,  gave  me  a 
cordial  welcome,  and  assigned  me  what  he  pleasantly  called  "  the 
prophet's  cliamber."  To  him,  and  the  late  Ensign  Lincoln,  both  of 
precious  memory,  I  was  indebted  for  means  to  defray  the  expense  of 


90  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

my  passage  in  the  schooner  Reaper,  Captain  Percival,  to  Baltimore,  on 
my  way  to  enter  Cohimbian  College,  at  Washington.  Brother  Lewis 
E.  Caswell,  then  keeping  a  shoe  store  in  Union  Street,  interested  him- 
self for  me,  and,  besides  other  favors,  gave  me  a  book,  —  Jones  on  the 
Trinity,  —  which  I  still  have,  and  cherish  as  a  memento  of  appreciated 
kindness.  The  Rev.  Joseph  Elliot,  whom  I  had  known  in  the  coun- 
try, was  then  pastor  of  the  Dudley  Street  Church,  in  Roxbury,  and  I 
walked  out  to  see  him,  and  acknowledge  some  tokens  of  his  generosity. 
The  long  road,  now  Washington  Street,  was  then  called,  in  different 
sections,  by  different  names  —  as  Cornhill,  Marlborough  Street,  New- 
bury Street,  Orange  Street,  &c.  The  bookstores  of  Samuel  T.  Arm- 
strong, Lincoln  &  Edmands,  Manning  &  Loring,  were  to  me  objects 
of  interest,  for  I  had  read  many  a  book  with  their  imprint.  I  looked 
long  at  tiie  Old  South  Church,  for  I  knew  its  history  in  connection  with 
the  American  revolution.  As  I  passed  onward,  I  was  interested  in  the 
signs  on  shops  and  stores,  and  noted  especially  the  frequency  of  one, 
"  Licensed  to  keep  and  sell  gunpowder."  Beyond  Boylston  Market 
the  buildings  were  mostly  of  wood,  and  scattered.  Much  of  the  space 
was  devoted  to  vegetable  and  flower  gardens,  with  shrubbery  and  fruit- 
trees.  In  what  is  now  ward  eleven,  a  city  in  itself,  there  was  but  one 
street,  and  the  dwellings  were  very  few.  The  South  Cove,  on  the  one 
side,  and  Back  Bay  on  the  other,  were  visible  for  a  long  distance.  There 
was  the  isthmus,  and  I  thought  of  Charles  Wet^ley's  hymn,  — 

"  Lo  !  ou  a  narrow  neck  of  land  ;  " 

but,  as  I  could  see  across  the  waters  on  either  side,  I  could  not  exactly 

add,  — 

"  'Twixt  two  unbounded  seas  I  stand." 

As  it  was  then  high  tide,  I  noticed  at  one  point  that  the  water  on  each 
side  came  nearly  up  to  the  rude  fence.  In  the  pastures  were  masses  of 
conglomerate  rock,  or  pudding-stone,  and  clumps  of  barberry  bushes, 
and  other  shrubs.  Little  did  I  then  dream  that  "  the  Neck  "  would,  in 
two  scores  of  years,  receive  such  a  dilatation,  and  have  lavished  upon  it 
such  an  outlay  for  the  homes  of  a  swarming  population.  Roxbury  was 
tlien  too  far  off  for  "  annexation ;  "  now  she  is  too  near  for  her  long  to 
avoid  that  result.  As  I  looked  over  the  expanse  of  Back  Bay,  and 
marked  the  long  line  of  beach,  there  was  no  prophecy  indicating  that  the 
Second  Baptist  Church,  nestled  at  the  foot  of  Copp's  Hill,  would  ever 
be  transferred  to  a  point  then  far  out  from  the  shore,  and  deeply  buried 
in  tide-water. 

I  had  heard  of  Dr.  Baldwin's  theory  that  "the  way  to  learn  to  preach 
is  to  preach,"  but  did  not  suppose  he  would  call  for  a  specimen  of  my 
proficiency.     That  thing,  however,  he  did  in  his  own  peculiar  way.     On 


EEMINISCEXCES.  91 

Friday  morning  he  inquired  if  I  liad  ever  preached.  My  answer  was, 
'•  I  have  tried  a  few  times."  "  Well,"  said  he,  "  did  you  not  succeed? 
This  evening  will  be  our  weekly  lecture,  and  I  wish  you  to  give  them  a 
plain  New  Hampshire  talk,  such  as  I  used  to  give  the  folks  up  among 
your  native  hills.  We  are  a  plain  people,  and  you  need  not  be  afraid." 
I  had  then  more  confidence  in  my  ability  to  preach  than  I  now  have, 
and  required  not  much  urging  in  that  direction.  As  tlie  vestry  on  the 
south  side  of  the  narrow  court,  since  widened  into  Baidwin  Place,  was 
Email  and  inconvenient,  the  service  was  held  in  the  house  which  you 
are  now  vacating,  and  I  stood  at  the  communion  table.  My  text  was 
Matt.  xvi.  26 :  "  What  is  a  man  profited,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole 
world,  and  lose  his  own  soul"?  Like  some  other  beginners,  I  was  not 
dismayed  at  the  greatness  of  my  subject.  I  was  favored  with  "liberty," 
and  had  good  attention;  but  it  did  not  once  occur  to  me  how  presump- 
tuous I  was  in  venturing  to  stand  in  the  place  of  the  great  Baptist  apos- 
tle of  New  England.  Those  who  remember  him  will  understand  me 
when  I  say  that  in  two  days  I  had  seen  enougli  of  his  meek  gentleness 
and  paternal  cordiality  to  make  me  unembarrassed  by  his  presence.  At 
the  close  of  the  service  he  put  his  hand  upon  my  head,  and  blandly  said, 
"  My  young  brother,  you  have  a  good  voice.  Go  to  Washington,  and 
let  Dr.  Staughton  tutor  it  a  while,  and  I  guess  you  will  make  a 
preacher." 

My  college  room-mate,  James  D.  Knowles,  and  myself  were  guests  at 
Dr.  Baldwin's  in  August,  1825.  On  the  Sabbatli,  August  21,  Mr. 
Knowles  preached  in  the  morning,  and  Dr.  Baldwin  in  the  afternoon  — 
his  last  sermon  in  Boston.  That  evening  Dr.  Baldwin  bade  us  good 
night,  and  retired  early,  saying  he  must  meet  Deacon  Bacheller  and 
wife,  of  Lynn,  at  the  steamboat  wharf  by  half  past  three  the  next  morn- 
ing. We  heard  the  carriage  at  the  door  before  dayliglit,  and  soon  it 
bore  away  the  good  man  and  his  wife,  to  return  the  following  week  under 
greatly  changed  conditions.  The  next  Friday  evening  I  preached  the 
lecture  in  the  Second  Church,  and  was  introduced  to  several  members, 
who,  seven  years  afterwards,  welcomed  me  as  pastor.  I  was  stopping  with 
Deacon  Heman  Lincoln,  then  residing  in  Lynde  Street,  when,  at  the  hour 
of  breakfast,  news  came  of  the  sudden  decease,  on  the  29th,  of  Dr. 
Baldwin,  at  AYaterville,  Me.  As  the  steamer  bearing  his  remains  came 
up  the  bay,  the  bells  of  the  city  were  tolled,  and  the  crowd  on  the  wharf 
was  immense.  I'he  impression  of  that  scene  is  deep  and  ineffaceable  in 
my  memory.  Boston  has  since  paid  funeral  honors  to  many  a  great 
man  departed,  but  over  no  one  have  so  many  tears  of  affectionate 
grief  been  shed.  Goodness  commands  a  deeper  heart-homage  than 
greatness. 

During  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Knowles  as  your  pastor  I  was  often  in 
Boston,  and   preached   for   him  many  a  sermon.     From   our   earliest 


1)2  MEMOIE    OF    DE.    STOW. 

acquaintance  we  had  been  intimate.  Few  knew  him  as  well  as  myself. 
Hundreds  admired  him  for  liis  superior  talent,  his  pure  taste,  his  literarj 
culture,  and  his  refinement  of  manners,  but  only  those  whom  he  admit- 
ted to  liis  confidence  understood  the  warmth  of  his  heart.  With  the 
appearance  of  cold  reserve  and  self-satisfaction  he  was  really  one  of  the 
most  simple-liearted  and  child-like  of  men.  Luther  Rice  once  said  of 
him  in  my  hearing,  "  I  could  never  get  beneath  his  jacket."  That  Avas 
probablj-  tlie  feeling  of  many,  but  it  was  not  true  of  all.  He  was  far 
from  demonstrative  with  his  affections;  but  he  was  kind  in  spirit,  and 
remarkably  lenient  in  his  judgment  of  othei's.  I  have  never  known  the 
man  whom  I  loved  more,  or  who  proved  himself,  on  long  acquaintance, 
worthy  of  greater  respect. 

In  February,  1832,  I  assisted  him  a  whole  week  in  a  protracted  meet- 
ing. The  streets  were  almost  impassable  from  the  depth  of  the  snow, 
but  the  attendance  was  good.  The  meetings  were  held  principally  in 
the  vestry,  and,  as  the  pastor  was  not  in  good  liealth,  were  chiefly  under 
my  direction.  Prayer  was  heard,  and  good  was  done,  but  the  apparent 
results  were  not  large. 

Early  in  the  following  autumn,  soon  after  the  resignation  of  Mr. 
Knowlcs,  I  was  invited  by  a  committee  to  preach  a  few  weeks  in  Bald- 
win Place,  apparently  as  a  supply,  but,  as  I  well  understood,  with  refer- 
ence to  something  furthei*.  I  was  tlien  pastor  of  the  Middle  Street 
Clmrch,  in  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  and  my  sense  of  justice  to  that  dear  peo- 
ple forbade  my  compliance  with  such  a  request,  and  I  simply  declined  it. 
A  few  weeks  afterwards  an  invitation  came  from  both  the  cliurch  and 
society  to  become  their  pastor.  That  I  could  honorably  accept,  and  my 
afSrmative  answer  was  promptly  given.  My  first  sermon  was  the  week- 
ly lecture  in  the  vestry,  November  2,  1832,  from  Psalms  Ixxxv.  6 : 
*'  Wilt  thou  not  revive  us  again,  that  thy  people  may  rejoice  in  thee?  " 
The  sermon  was  intended  as  a  key-note  of  my  ministry  in  that  place,  as 
it  had  been  in  my  previous  pastorate,  and  many  of  you  are  aware  how 
conformable  to  it  w.ere  my  labors.  My  first  residence  was  at  39  Charter 
Street,  in  a  house  owned  and  long  occupied  by  Deacon  Joseph  Woodcock. 
My  first  funeral  was  of  a  child  of  Lewis  Smith,  in  Prince  Street.  The 
first  couple  I  married  were  Samuel  Parks  and  Eliza  S.  Fuller,  in  Port- 
land Street. 

At  the  time  of  my  settlement,  the  nortliern  part  of  the  city  contained 
very  few  foreigners.  The  nearest  Roman  Catholic  place  of  worship 
was  in  Franklin  Street.  The  population  was  dense ;  and,  though  not 
of  the  wealthier  classes,  they  were  of  tiie  kind  most  easily  reached  by 
evangelical  influences.  The  congregation  was  remarkably  homoge- 
neous. There  were  no  aristocratic  famihes.  None  were  above  attend- 
ing a  vestry  meeting.     It  was  refreshing  to  see  how  general  and  how 


INSTALLATION.  93 

cordial  was  the  feuling  of  social  equality.  To  the  prevalence  of  that 
feeling  I  attribute,  under  God,  much  of  my  success  in  that  field.  I  hud 
no  temptation  to  cater  to  the  taste  of  any  particular  class ;  all  were 
about  on  a  level,  and  every  sermon,  like  tiie  scythe  of  a  mower,  might 
shave  to  the  ground. 

Very  few  of  my  hearers  resided  south  of  a  line  running  from  Long 
Wharf  through  State,  Court,  and  Cambridge  Streets,  to  Cambridge 
Bridge.  When  the  house  was  fullest,  from  1834  to  1845,  the  great 
body  of  my  people  resided  north  of  Elm  and  Portland  Streets.  I  proba- 
bly had  then  more  Americans  every  Sabbath  than  can  now  be  found  in 
the  first  ward. 

Wo  sliall  have  occasion  hereafter  to  quote  other  portions 
of  this  letter.  Resuming  our  sketch  from  the  time  when  he 
commenced  his  labors  in  Boston,  we  find  the  same  distrust 
of  himself,  and  the  same  looking  up  to  God  for  help,  that  we 
have  noticed  in  other  crisis  jjeriods  of  his  life.  "The  charge 
I  now  assume  is  immense.  I  am  inadequate  to  its  duties.  I 
would  take  hold  of  God's  arm."  The  services  of  installation 
occurred  on  November  15,  1832.  Rev.  Professor  Knowles, 
as  was  most  fitting,  preached  the  sermon.  Rev.  Dr.  Sharp 
ofiered  the  installing  prayer,  and  Rev.  Dr.  Hague  gave  the 
right  hand  of  fellowship. 

Passing  over  the  record  of  the  next  few  weeks,  Ave  turn  to 
his  journal,  commencing  with  the  following  date:  — 

1833. 

January  1,  1833.  Another  year  forever  gone.  How  eventful  it  has 
been  to  me !  How  full  of  anxious  care,  hopes,  and  disappointments ! 
My  mercies  have  been  numerous,  and  so  have  my  sins.  Have  labored 
much,  and  apparently  effected  little.  To-day  I  would  bow  down  in 
gratitude  and  penitence  before  my  Maker,  Benefactor,  and  Preserver. 

0  that  my  heart  may  love  him  and  adore  ! 

March  30.  Cheering  intelligence.  The  Rev.  Luther  Crawford  has 
accepted  the  invitation  of  the  Portsmouth  church  to  become  their  pastor. 

1  feel  grateful  to  God  for  providing  them  so  good  and  able  a  man.  May 
he  prove  a  blessing  to  that  dear  people.  A  heavy  burden  of  care  and 
responsibility  is  now  removed  from  me.  I  can  give  myself  more  fully 
to  my  duties  in  Boston.  Yet  God  forbid  I  should  cease  to  pray  for  deal 
Portsmouth. 


94  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

April  19.  Eeturned  from  Portsmouth.  Preached  there  last  evening, 
at  the  installation  of  Rev.  L.  Crawford,  as  pastor  of  the  Middle  Street 
Baptist  Churcli.  Enjoyed  a  refreshing  scene  among  old  friends.  Lord, 
bless  both  people  and  pastor. 

May  11.  Called  upon  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sutton,  arrived  recently  from  Cal- 
cutta. Mr.  Sutton  is  a  missionary  of  the  English  Baptists  ;  has  long  been 
laboring  in  Hindoostan.  Mrs.  Sutton  went  from  this  city  as  the  wife  of 
Brother  Colinan,  w!io  died  at  Cox  Bazaar,  Arracan.  They  came  home 
in  the  Fenelon,  together  with  Brother  and  Sister  Wade,  and  a  Burman 
and  a  Karen,  botli  converts. 

August  4.  Baptized  four  this  morning  in  our  new  baptistery.  The 
season  was  trul3-  a  pleasant  one,  the  congregation  large  and  attentive. 

October  3.  We  liave  now  eleven  candidates  for  baptism.  Should 
my  health  permit,  I  shall  baptize  them  next  Lord's  day.  Five  are  re- 
cent converts ;  two  are  members  of  a  Congregational  church ;  the  others 
have  had  hope  in  Jesus  for  some  time,  but  the  Lord  has  now  brought 
them  out  not  only  to  see,  but  to  feel,  the  claims  of  duty.  We  trust  we 
are  beginning  to  see  good  days.  Tlie  church  are  more  awake  than  I 
have  seen  them  since  my  removal  to  the  city.  Lord,  arouse  them  still 
more.  0,  shed  forth  the  vivifying  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
excite  all  our  powers  to  more  vigorous  action.  Let  us  see  thy  glory  in 
the  sanctuarj',  and  rejoice  in  thy  salvation.  Thanks,  everlasting  tlianks 
for  what  1  now  enjoy.  Bring  me  forth  as  gold  from  the  furnace,  seven 
times  purified,  and  more  fit  for  the  Master's  use. 

October  6.  Though  feeble,  performed  some  service  in  tlie  sanctuary. 
Baptized  two  in  the  morning,  in  the  afternoon  gave  tliem  the  riglit  hand  of 
fellowship.  In  the  forenoon  my  dear  Brother  John  N.  Brown  preached, 
"  on  tlie  nature  and  importance  of  positive  divine  institutions."  It  was 
an  excellent  discourse.  In  the  afternoon  mj'  equally  dear  Brother 
Eufus  Babcock,  Jr.  preached  upon  the  "  adaptedness  of  the  divine  good- 
ness to  lead  sinners  to  repentance."  It  was  truly  refreshing  to  hear 
him.  This  has  been  a  good  day.  Many  of  the  saints  have  richly  en- 
joyed it,  and  I  trust  the  services  may  be  rendered  useful  to  the  whole 
congregation. 

October  9.  Eeturned  from  Salem,  where,  last  evening,  I  assisted  in 
setting  apart  Mr.  John  B.  Cook  and  wife  as  missionaries  to  Siam.  Pro- 
fessor Ripley  addressed  the  people.  Dr.  Bolles  gave  them  instructions, 
and  I  gave  them  tlie  right  hand  of  fellowship. 

Lord's  day,  December  15,  1833.  Preached  this  morning  from  Psalms 
xlvi.  10,  "  Be  still  and  know  that  I  am  God,"  with  reference  to  the  death 
of  two  young  men,  S.  W.  L.  and  W.  C.  Had  some  clear  and  soul- 
humbling  views  of  the  divine  sovereignty  —  contemplated  God  as  above 
all,  managing  with  perfect  case  and  rectitude  the  whole  machinery, 
material  and  siiiritual,  of  his  universe.  How  great  is  God !  How  per- 
fect ! 


THE    EARNEST    M'OKKER.  95 

December  31.  Tliis  year  is  closinj?.  Let  me  review,  before  God, 
its  scenes  —  its  cares,  sins,  blessings,  and  joys.  Mucli  liave  I  to  be 
thankful  for,  much  to  repent  of.  I  have  preached  one  hundred  and 
fifty-five  sermons,  married  forty  couples,  attended  thirty-nine  funerals, 
and  baptized  forty-three. 

To  God  I  commend  my  labors,  my  family,  my  people,  my  whole  self. 
I  am  a  sinner,  with  no  hope  of  heaven  except  through  the  merits  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

The  year  just  ended  had  been  a  memorable  one  in  the  life 
of  JMr.  Stow.  He  had  begun  to  learn  how  pressing  and  with- 
out cessation  are  the  cares  which  devolve  on  the  pastor  of  a 
large  city  cliurch.  With  his  usual  zeal,  and  earnest  longings 
for  the  s])iritual  welfare  of  those  intrusted  to  his  care,  he  had 
thrown  himself  into  his  work.  Dissatisfied  unless  he  saw 
])Ositive  and  visible  fruits  of  his  ministry,  he  taxed  mind  and 
heart  in  the  preparation  and  delivery  of  his  sermons.  Those 
who  remember  the  early  days  of  his  ministry  in  Baldwin 
Place  recall  with  great  vividness  his  personal  appearance  in 
the  pulpit;  how  his  eye  would  light  up  with  a  sacred  fire,  his 
countenance  beam  with  unwonted  emotion,  and  his  whole 
form  become  dilated  into  an  appearance  of  dignity  and  solem- 
nity which  both  captivated  and  awed  his  hearers.  Very 
rarely  docs  the  eloquence  of  the  pulpit  send  forth  a  purer 
lustre  than  it  shed  from  that  holy  spot  Avhere  he  stood  who 
was  "a  burning  and  a  shining  light."  And  if  his  ministerial 
greatness  showed  itself  in  the  sacred  desk,  not  less  did  it 
appear  in  his  pastoral  work.  It  can  be  said  of  him,  as  Pro- 
fessor Park  has  said  of  William  Bradford  Homer,  "  He  visited 
the  sick  chamber  with  literal  sickness  of  heart,  and,  when 
called  to  attend  a  funeral,  he  felt  as  one  personally  bereaved," 
"  He  was  desirous  of  seeing  an  immediate  influence  from 
eveiy  sermon,  and  was  grieved  if  he  did  not  see  it.  The 
truths  which  he  uttered  from  the  pulpit  so  absorbed  his  atten- 
tion, that  they  often  aAvaked  him  by  night."  All  through  the 
year,  to  the  record  of  which  we  have  briefly  adverted,  his 
journal  indicates  the  intensity  of  his  desires  for  the  religious 
welfiire  of  his  people.  Every  hopeful  sign  of  the  coming  of 
a  revived  state  of  religion  was  watched  with  most  lively 


96  JCEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

interest.  His  whole  being  seemed  to  be  pervaded  witli  unut- 
terable joy  and  gratitude,  if  he  saw  anything  like  the  tokens 
of  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  How  often,  in  reading 
these  outgushings  of  his  heart's  longings,  we  have  been 
reminded  of  the  w^ords  of  the  Psalmist,  "I  wait  for  the 
Lord;  my  soul  doth  Avait,  and  in  his  word  do  I  hope.  My 
soul  waiteth  for  the  Lord  more  than  they  that  watch  for 
the  morning;  I  say,  more  than  they  that  watch  for  the 
morning."  A  minister  of  less  sensitive  temperament  would 
have  dismissed  these  anxieties  with  the  feeling  that  he  had 
no  right  to  indulge  in  them,  if  he  had  a  reasonable  conviction 
that  he  had  done  his  duty.  But  Mr.  Stow  was  ever  placing 
the  standard  of  duty  higher  and  higher.  Any  approximation 
to  what  might  once  have  been  his  ideal  seemed  to  raise  that 
ideal  to  a  loftier  plane,  and  in  proportion  as  he  struggled  to 
reach  it,  it  was  ever  eluding  his  grasp.  No  wonder  that  the 
laboring  spirit  made  such  great  drafts  on  the  depressed 
and  often  physically  prostrated  body.  No  wonder  that  the 
nerves,  stretched  to  such  a  tension  for  days  and  weeks,  felt 
the  strain,  and  that,  in  the  reaction,  there  came  a  gloom  some- 
times as  great  as  the  exultation  he  had  felt  in  the  service  of 
his  Master.  Again  we  lift  the  veil,  and  once  more  look  on 
the  record  of  his  daily  life,  both  inner  and  outer. 

1834. 

January  1,  1834.  "  The  goodness  of  God  enduretli  continually," 
whereof  the  preservation  of  my  life,  and  the  numerous  blessings  that 
encompass  my  path,  are  witnesses.  Now  entering  upon  a  new  year,  I 
would  devote  myself  afresh  to  God  — would  take  the  Lord  anew  as  my 
portion,  all  my  hope.    May  my  growth  in  grace  be  more  and  more  rapid. 

January  6.  A  day  of  general  fasting  and  prayer  among  the  church- 
es. May  the  prayers  to-day  be  fervent,  believing,  and  effectual, 
so  God  may  be  glorified  and  his  churches  benefited.  For  fourteen 
evenings  in  succession  the  church  under  my  charge  have  met  to  con- 
fess, exhort,  and  praise,  and  praj'.  The  effect  has  evidently  been  good. 
Backsliders  have  been  reclaimed;  some  sinners  seem  touched  with  a 
sense  of  their  guilt.  I  trust  they  are  not  mere  appearances,  yet  I  hard- 
ly dare  confide  in  them,  so  deceitful  is  the  heart,  and  so  easy  is  it  to 
produce  excitement,  when  there  is  no  dejotli  of  principle. 


JOURNAL.  97 

January  24.  This  morning  had  some  enhirgemcnt  in  prayer — some 
sweet  sense  of  the  divine  presence.  A  portion  only  of  the  church 
seem  awake  and  earnest  in  prayer;  but  God  lias  heard  them,  and  given 
some  tokens  of  good.  "  My  heart  breaketli  for  the  longing  it  hath" 
unto  the  salvation  of  God.  Lord,  enable  me  to  confide  wholly  in  Thee 
—  vain  is  man. 

February  17th.  O  Lord,  my  Lord,  one  thing  I  desire  of  thee  — 
that  thou  wilt  convert  sinners,  and  give  me  souls  for  my  hire.  Even 
if  I  am  not  permitted  to  see  the  fruit  of  my  labors,  let  this  he  the  fruit- 
age, that  "  I  may  rejoice  in  the  day  of  Christ  Jesus."  Thou  seest  the 
multitudes  that  come  to  hear  :  shall  they  hear  in  vain  ?  Into  thy  care 
I  commit  my  dear  people,  my  labors  for  their  good,  and  myself.  Wilt 
thou  sanctify  me,  and  qualify  me  more  fully  for  my  work.''  Wilt  thou 
not  give  effect  to  my  labors  here?     Is  anything  too  hard  for  thee? 

March  31.  "  Truly  God  is  good  to  Israel."  My  people  continue 
to  be  blessed  with  the  life-giving  influences  of  the  Spirit.  Since  the 
meeting  of  the  Boston  Baptist  Association,  in  September  last,  I  have 
baptized  forty,  some  of  them  the  fruits  of  the  venerable  Baldwin's 
labors,  others  of  the  labors  of  my  immediate  predecessor,  and  not  a  few 
recent  converts.  Yesterday  I  baptized  eight;  others  give  evidence  of  a 
change  of  heart  and  life.  Surely  we  have  occasion  to  bless  God,  and 
magnify  his  name.  Two  young  men  have  been  very  active  in  procur- 
ing an  organ  for  the  church  at  an  expense  of  two  thousand  dollars, 
which  was  used  j'esterday  for  the  first  time. 

May  9.  Just  returned  from  New  York,  where  I  have  been  for  the  last 
two  weeks,  attending  tlie  anniversaries  of  various  religious  socie- 
ties. Preached  three  times,  made  two  public  addresses,  saw  much  and 
heard  much,  enjoyed  seeing  many  friends.  Delighted  again  to  recom- 
mence my  labors.     Regular  pastoral  duty  I  prefer  to  all  things  else. 

Lord's  Day,  June  29.  This  morning  Brother  Knowles  preached  for 
me,  —  an  excellent  discourse,  —  and  I  baptized  three  interesting  candi- 
dates. Evening  services  were  held ;  eleven  new  missionaries  were  set 
apart  to  their  work  in  Burmah  and  Siam,  at  the  Baldwin  Place  Church. 
The  throng  was  immense. 

July  2.  This  morning  the  missionaries  sailed  for  Burmah.  They 
were  Messrs.  Wade,  Dean,  Howard,  Vinton,  Osgood,  and  Comstock, 
with  their  wives.  The  crowd  on  the  wharf  was  large,  and  the  services 
truly  solemn.  At  half  past  nine  "the  gallant  ship  was  sheeted  home," 
and  she  moved  down  the  harbor  with  a  mild  but  fiivoring  breeze,  while 
the  brethren  and  sisters  on  board  sang,  "  Yes,  my  native  land,  I  love 
thee,"  &c.     God  speed  them  on  their  way.     "  Thy  kingdom  come." 

August  8.  Left  home  on  the  7th  ult.,  with  my  dear  E.  Journeyed 
by  a  circuitous  route  to  Windsor,  Vt.,  Newport,  N.  H.,  &c.,  &c.     Re- 

7 


98  MEMOIR   OF   Dll.    STOW. 

turned  last  evening  after  a  delightful  visit  to  our  numerous  connections. 
Preached  ten  times ;  delivered  one  temperance  address.  Walked  and 
rode  very  much.  Enjoyed  good  healtli,  and  revived  in  memory  a  thou- 
sand scenes  of  our  childhood;  lived  over  again  the  joyous  days  of 
youth. 

October  29.  This  evening  had  but  half  a  congregation,  owing  to 
heavy  rain.  Preached  from  2  Cor.  v.  19 —  "  God  was  in  Christ  recon- 
ciling the  world  unto  himself."  Had  labored  hard  Saturday  to  get  hold 
of  the  glory  of  the  declaration,  but  accomplished  little.  While  preach- 
ing, the  subject  opened  upon  my  mind  with  fresh  splendor,  but,  cramped 
by  my  plan,  I  was  utterly  unable  to  present  my  views  to  the  people.  So 
deeply  was  my  mind  impressed  with  this  grand  theme,  1  wanted  to  preach 
it  over  again.  Is  God  in  Christ?  Then  let  me  be  in  Christ  also. 
There  the  two  extremes  can  meet.  There  the  hostile  parties  can  be 
reconciled,  and  there  only.  God  was  of  old  in  the  tabernacle,  and  in 
the  holy  place  of  his  temple,  ready  to  hold  intercourse  with  men  — 
those  were  shadows  of  this  great  truth,  God  in  Christ.  Am  I  in  Christ? 
Then  am  I  a  new  creature.  Then  am  I  not  condemned.  (Rom.  viii.  1.) 
Then  have  I  peace  with  God.  (Kom.  v.  1.)  Glorious,  glorious  plan! 
Thus  God  retains  his  dignity,  and  shows  his  abhorrence  of  our  rebellion 
and  depravitj-.  Thus  he  condescends  without  impairing  his  integrity, 
or  conniving  at  our  guilt,  or  jeopardizing  the  interests  of  holiness.  I 
wonder  not  the  proud,  the  pharisaical,  the  vicious,  hate  the  doctrine  of 
Christ  in  God.  I  wonder  not  that  the  humble,  the  broken-hearted,  the 
holy  admire  and  love  it. 

We  might  Imve  made  more  coidIous  extracts  from  the  jour- 
nal of  Mr.  Stow  dming  this  year;  but  those  given  present  us 
with  good  iUustrations  of  the  general  tone  of  his  feelings, 
and  the  cliaracter  of  the  work  in  which  he  was  engaged. 
With  great  conscientiousness  and  untiring  industry  he  de- 
voted liimself  to  his  ministerial  and  pastoral  work,  and  God 
set  the  seal  of  his  approbation  upon  these  labors.  His  con- 
gregations were  uniformly  large  and  attentive,  and  already 
his  church  had  increased  so  much  in  numbers,  that  the  ques- 
tion of  colonizing  began  to  be  agitated.  The  opening  of  a 
new  year  finds  him  at  his  post,  and  he  begins  it  with  im- 
ploring anew  the  divine  blessing  upon  his  work. 


DECLINES    THE    SECKETAKYSEIIP   OF    THE    CONVENTION.    99 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Elected  Secretaky  op  the  Triennial  Convention.  —  Declines.  — 
Journal.  —  Correspondence.  —  Letter  to  the  Baldwin  Place 
Church. —  Journal. 

1835-1836. 

The  beginning  of  a  new  year  found  Mr.  Stow  cherishing 
the  hope  that  the  special  favor  of  Heaven  would  be  vouch- 
safed to  him  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties.  His  service  of  a 
httle  more  than  a  year  had  made  him  acquainted  with  his 
peoj)le,  and  his  ready  sympathy  had  brought  him  in  close 
contact  with  their  hearts.  We  know  how  strong  were  the 
ties  of  aifection  which  bound  the  pastor  and  his  church  in 
the  bonds  of  a  union  which  only  grew  closer  and  dearer  with 
the  lapse  of  time.  From  tlie  commencement  of  his  ministry, 
the  church  felt  that  God  had  highly  fevored  them  in  granting 
them  so  choice  a  ministerial  gift.  As  his  reputation  extended 
and  his  influence  widened,  they  felt  a  new  pride  in  him,  and 
were  not  backward  in  showing  their  appreciation  of  him.  We 
shall  observe,  from  the  extracts  which  we  continue  to  give 
from  his  journal,  that  he  was  growing  in  the  estimation  of  the 
churclies  and  the  community.  The  interest  which  he  took  in 
the  cause  of  foreign  missions  led  the  board  of  managers  of 
the  Triennial  Convention  to  turn  their  attention  to  him  as 
a  suitable  person  to  fill  the  responsible  position -of  secre- 
tary; and  we  shall  find  that,  at  the  meeting  held  this  year 
in  Richmond,  Ya.,  he  w^as  elected  to  this  office.  He  declined 
it,  however,  "not  because  his  heart  was  not  in  the  work,  but 
because  his  attachment  to  his  people  was  so  strong  that 
he  would  not  leave  them   for   any  other   position   to  which 


100  aiEMOIE    OF    DR.    STOW. 

his  brethren  miglit  invite  him,  unless  the  call  of  God  waa 
too  clear  to  be  resisted.  No  man  ever  placed  a  higher  esti- 
mate on  the  pastorate,  or  gave  stronger  evidence  of  his  sin- 
cere love  for  ministerial  work,  than  Baron  Stow. 

1835. 

January  1,  1835.  In  the  grace  of  God  I  am  preserved  to  see  the 
opening  of  a  new  year.  Should  my  life  be  prolonged  another  year,  may 
it  be  more  completely  devoted  to  God,  and  filled  up  with  useful  service. 

May  10.  Eeturned,  after  an  absence  of  four  weeks,  to  Richmond, 
Va.,  where  I  attended  the  session  of  the  Baptist  General  Convention. 
Services  were  delightfully  refreshing. 

May  16.  The  Convention  saw  fit  to  elect  me  as  one  of  their  corre- 
sponding secretaries.  My  duty  seems  clear  not  to  accept.  I  cannot 
leave  the  dear  people  over  whom  the  Lord  has  manifestly  placed  me, 
and  in  whose  eyes  he  has  given  me  undeserved  favor.  I  wish  no  higher 
honor  than  to  be  pastor  of  the  Second  Baptist  Church. 

August  21.  This  afternoon  a  large  meeting  has  been  held  at  Faneuil 
Hall,  to  denounce,  and  if  possible  put  down,  the  friends  of  the  crushed 
slave.  There  seems  to  be  a  fixed  determination  that  they  shall  be  de- 
prived of  the  freedom  of  speech  and  of  the  press.  All  the  churches,  and 
almost  every  hall  are  closed  against  the  discussion  of  the  subject  of  sla- 
very. The  cause  of  the  oppressed  is  shut  out,  and  with  it  the  God  of  tlie 
oppressed.  The  number  of  names  to  the  call  of  the  above  meeting  is 
over  fifteen  hundred.  Who  will  like  to  read  his  name  there  one  hun- 
dred years  hence  ? 

September  22.  This  day  twenty  missionaries,  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Malcom,  as  agent  of  the  board,  sailed  for  the  East.  The  scene  was  de- 
lightful. O  God,  preserve  thou  them,  and  render  them  all  extensively 
useful. 

Painful  news  from  Lowell.  Brother  Enoch  "W.  Freeman,  pastor  of 
the  First  Baptist  Church  in  that  town,  died  this  morning,  of  cholera 
morbus. 

For  a  week  past  I  have  felt  unusual  solicitude  for  the  conversion  of 
sinners.  All  seem  thoughtless ;  but  God  has  given  me  desires  such  as 
I  have  seldom  had.  O  that  the  church  were  more  deeply  impressed  with  a 
conviction  of  their  responsibility  upon  this  subject ! 

September  24.  Attended  the  funeral  of  Brother  Freeman.  Preached 
from  Num.  xxiii.  10.  It  was  as  solemnly  impressive  a  scene  as  I  ever 
witnessed.  Thousands  in  tears.  He  was  tenderly  beloved  by  his  peo- 
ple, and  his  labors  have  been  greatly  useful.  May  we  all  be  profited  by 
this  admonitory  dispensation. 

October  19.     Preached  three  times  yesterdav.     Endeavored,  in  two 


JOURNAI..  101 

Kormons,  to  persuade  my  dear  people  to  be  in  earnest  in  tlie  pursuit  of 
heaven.  Evening,  preached  tlie  annual  sermon  before  the  Fatherless 
and  Widows'  Society.     Full  house,  but  meagre  collection. 

October  22.  The  Female  Anti-Slavery  Society  met  to-day,  and  were 
dispersed  by  a  mob!  Mr.  Garrison  was  seized,  and,  but  for  the  inter- 
ference of  the  mayor,  would  have  been  roughly  handled,  if  not  mur- 
dered. All  this  for  what?  For  being  the  friend  of  the  crushed  slave. 
Put  this  and  the  meeting  at  Faneuil  Hall  (August  21)  together !  Tliis 
mob  seems  the  fruit  of  that  respectable  gathering.  O  God,  hast  thou 
not  favor  in  store  for  two  millions  and  a  half  of  thine  oppressed  crea- 
tures? 

November  3.  Overwhelmed  with  a  sense  of  responsibility  touching 
the  souls  committed  to  my  charge.  Many  of  the  church  give  no  evi- 
dence of  piety.  Very  few  are  really  living  Christians.  What  shall  I 
say  of  the  congregation  ?  Hundreds  senseless  and  immovable  as  the 
dead.  For  them  I  watch  as  one  that  must  give  account  of  my  steward- 
ship. How  shall  I  acquit  myself  of  their  blood.''  How  discharge  my 
duty  to  them?  Canst  thou  not  grants wie  thy  Holy  Spirit,  to  enable  me 
to  declare  the  whole  counsel  of  God?  Beget  in  the  church  a  spirit  of 
prayer.     May  they  awake,  and  live  for  God. 

November  21.  Nineteen  years  has  my  dear  father  been  in  heaven, 
and  /so  much  nearer  the  time  when  I  shall  meet  him.  ' 

December  13.  God  has  come  near  to  me  in  the  death  of  my  dear 
Brother  Alonzo  King,  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Westboro', 
Mass.  We  joined  the  church  in  Newport,  within  a  few  months  of  each 
other,  in  the  year  1818;  entered  the  ministry  about  the  same  time;  have 
always  loved  each  other,  and,  thougli  ver}'  dissimilar  in  temperaments, 
have  always  agreed  in  feeling,  principle,  and  action.  His  leading  moral 
characteristic  was  humility.  He  thought  little  of  himself,  and  of  him- 
self always  spoke  ill,  though  uniformly  well,  if  at  all,  of  others.  He 
was  a  very  holy  man,  and  to  me  is  "  not  lost,  but  gone  before." 

December  16.  Went  to  Westboro',  and  preached  a  sermon  with  a  view 
to  improve  the  divine  dispensation  in  the  removal  of  dear  Brother  King. 
It  was  his  request  that  no  sermon  should  be  preached  at  his  funeral, 
and  that,  if  his  family  and  people  should  desire,  I  should  preach  a  dis- 
course to  them  for  their  good  after  his  burial.  I  endeavored  to  exhibit 
to  the  afflicted  friends  the  consolation  to  be  derived  from  the  fact  of  the 
Saviour's  resurrection  as  confirming  the  divinity  of  our  religion,  as  sig- 
nifying the  divine  acceptance  of  Christ's  mediation,  as  containing  a 
pledge  that  the  entire  plan  of  redemption  should  be  executed,  and  as 
rendering  certain  the  resurrection  of  all  believers.  To-day  has  been 
intensely  cold,  and  while  I  was  preaching  the  mercury  out  of  doors 
sto  od  twelve   degrees  below  zero.     My  ride  of  thirty-two  miles  home 


102  MEMOIR    OF    DK.    STOW 

was  bitterly  cold.  The  day,  I  trust,  lias  been  profitable  As  I  looked 
upon  the  afflicted  widow  and  children,  my  heart  melted  in  view  of  God's 
goodness  to  me  and  mine. 

The  journals  of  Mr.  Stow  abound  in  the  most  touching 
references  to  his  mother.  Her  toils  and  sacrifices  for  him- 
self, his  brother,  and  his  sister,  are  often  gratefully  recorded. 
But  what  most  impressed  him,  and  left  its  savor  longest  on 
his  heart,  was  the  deep  piety  evinced  in  the  careful  training 
of  lier  children  in.  the  way  of  personal  purity  and  holiness. 
The  first  of  the  following  letters  was  written  to  his  mother 
after  her  recovery  from  a  severe  illness,  which  it  was  feared 
would  terminate  her  life  :  — 

Boston,  March  12,  1834. 

My  vert  dear  Mother  :  I  feel  that  we  all  have  occasion  to  be 
grateful  to  God  for  his  goodness  in  restoring  you  to  health,  and  permit- 
ting you  to  continue  still  longer  for  the  benefit  of  your  children.  We 
doubt  not  but  you  are  prepared  for  a  better  world,  and  that  for  yourself 
it  migiit  be  better  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ,  but  for  the  sake  of  those 
who  need  your  society  and  counsel  it  is  every  way  desirable  that  you 
should  live  many  years.  The  Lord  is  good  and  wise,  and  blessed  be 
his  holy  name  forever  and  ever.  Our  prayer  is  that  your  affliction  may 
be  sanctified  to  your  benefit,  so  that  your  holiness  and  comfort  may  be 
thereby  promoted. 

At  present  we  are  enjoying  a  precious  revival,  and  my  labors  are 
more  numerous  and  severe  than  ever.  Since  October  1,1  have  bap- 
tized thirty-two,  and  many  more  are  rejoicing  in  hope.  God  is  merci- 
fully blessing  my  labors  fiir  beyond  my  highest  anticipations. 

JNIaiiy  of  the  churches  in  this  region  are  now  blessed  with  encoura- 
ging revivals,  and  the  prospect  is  that  this  will  be  a  year  of  great  in- 
crease to  our  Zion.  O  that  the  Lord's  people  would  all  aivake  and  live 
not  unto  themselves,  but  for  the  glory  of  Ilim  who  died  to  redeem  them  I 

To  his  brother-in-laAv,  W.  L.  Beal,  whom  the  following  let- 
ter was  expected  to  reach  in  Paris  :  — 

October  28,  1835. 

One  week  has  passed  since  we  gave  you  the  partmg  hand,  and 
while  we  are  quietly  housed  at  No.  11,  you  are  doubtless  tossing 
on  the  bounding  billows.  Our  morning  and  evening  prayer,  as  we 
bend  around  our  domestic  altar,  is,  that  Heaven  may  give  you  a  safe 
ftnd  a  speedy  passage,  preserve  you  from  all  dangers,  and  soon  return 


LETTER    TO    AV.    L.    BEAL.  103 

you  to  Uio  friends  wlio  love  you,  and  whom  you  love.  TVe  cherish  a 
strong  oonfitlence  that  it  will  be  so. 

We  have  nothing  new  among  us.  All  things  move  on  quietly  (sinca 
the  riot  on  the  day  you  left,  in  which  Mr.  Garrison  was  endangered,  but 
not  injured),  and  I  trust  we  shall  be  saved  from  evils  which  are  dis- 
turbing and  disgracing  other  cities.  Several  of  the  celebrated  "  ten 
hour  men"  have  been  apprehended  as  the  "incendiaries  "  who  have 
occasioned  the  late  fires.  Some  have  confessed,  and  against  others  the 
proof  is  clear. 

I  have  just  returned  from  Worcester,  where  yesterday  I  preached 
the  installation  sermon  of  Rev.  Mr.  Aldrich.  To-morrow  I  go  to  per- 
form the  same  service  at  Lowell  for  Mr.  Porter.  "Then,"  says  E., 
peremptorily,  "  you  must  stay  at  home."  Really,  I  hope  all  hands  will 
let  me  alone,  and  allow  me  to  labor  on  quietly  in  my  own  vineyard. 
The  Federal  Street  Church  and  Society  have  invited  Mr.  Ide.  Should 
he  accept,  he  will  bear  a  part  of  these  burdens. 

To  tlie  same :  — 

November  28,  1835. 

We  have  "rumors  of  war"  with  France,  and  we  sometimes  feel 
apprehensive  that  President  Jackson  will,  in  his  forthcoming  mes- 
sage, apply  tiie  match  to  the  train  and  create  an  explosion  that  will 
affect,  not  only  i/ou7-  business,  but  the  interests,  temporal  and  eternal, 
of  millions.  You  will  do  well  not  to  plunge  deeply  into  engagements 
for  the  future,  until  you  know  how  this  troublesome  matter  is  to  issue. 
Our  treasury  is  to  have  a  surplus  of  twenty-seven  millions  at  the  close 
of  the  year,  and  our  politicians  know  not  what  to  do  with  it,  except  to 
shoot  it  away  at  Louis  Philippe  and  his  refractory  subjects.  O,  how 
pitiful  is  this  war  spirit!  I  loathe  it  from  my  inmost  soul.  So  undigni- 
fied, so  unbefitting  immortal,  accountable  beings,  so  opposed  to  the 
mild  and  benignant  spirit  of  Christianity. 

The  correspondence  tlms  given  shows  the  warmth  of  his 
domestic  affections,  and  indicates  that  he  was  becoming  more 
widely  known,  and  that  his  services  as  an  acceptable  preacher 
were  in  constant  requisition  on  public  occasions.  Returning 
once  more  to  his  journal,  we  gWe  a  few  extracts  wdiich  have 
reference  to  his  ministerial  life  during  the  year  1836. 

1836. 

January  16.  Since  the  great  prayer  day  (first  Monday  in  the  month), 
the   Lord    has    revived    his    work    in    many  places.      A  brother  just 


104  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

in  has  informed  nie  of  .a  gracious  outpouring  in  Beverly.  I  rejoice,  0 
Lord,  tliat  Thou  art  working  anywhere ;  but  may  I  not  still  plead  for 
Baldwin  Place?  Last  evening  our  prayer  meeting  was  full,  and  more 
spirited  than  usual.  Had  I  not  so  often  seen  such  aj^pearances  vanish, 
I  should  he  a  little  encouraged.  I  hope  still  in  thy  promises,  thou 
God  of  mercy. 

January  23.  This  evening  received  from  this  dear  church  a  fresh 
token  of  their  kindness  —  a  donation  of  two  hundred  dollars  in  money. 
On  the  first  ult.,  I  received  from  two  young  men  of  the  society,  as 
a  New  Year's  remembrance,  fifty  dollars.  I  am  oppressed  by  such 
kindness,  and  cannot  perceive  why  I  am  thus  distinguished.  God  has 
a  purpose  in  it.  O  that  I  may  never  cease  to  be  grateful  to  God  or  my 
friends  !     I  ought  to  labor  with  greater  zeal  and  fresher  courage. 

February  15.  Having  received  an  invitation  from  the  Middle  Street 
Cliurch  and  Society  in  Portsmoutii  to  return  and  again  become  their 
pastor,  have  to-day  sent  them  a  negative  reply.  I  truly  love  that  dear 
people,  and  should  be  glad  to  render  them  any  practicable  service. 

During  the  last  seven  days  we  have  held  a  series  of  evening  prayer 
meetings  with  special  reference  to  the  low  state  of  religion  among  us. 
A  few  individuals  in  the  church  seem  partially  awakened,  but  the  mass 
are  still  apparently  unconcerned  whether  sinners  be  lost  or  saved. 

April  5.  A  letter  from  Sister  J.  H.  P.  brings  the  tidings  that  my  dear 
brother  Peter  is  no  more.  He  was  our  youngest,  and  around  him  our 
hearts  clustered.  Of  a  peculiarly  delicate  constitution,  he  has  been  an 
object  of  much  solicitude.  Loving  and  lovable  in  his  chiiracter,  he  en- 
deared himself  to  us  all  by  a  thousand  ties.  But  now  thou  art  in  the 
society  of  the  blessed.  I  cannot  mourn  for  thee.  Thou  hast  left  a 
world  of  suffering,  and  found  rest  in  heaven.  I  hope  to  meet  thee,  and 
rejoice  with  thee  before  the  throne.  May  God  support  and  comfort  my 
d'?ar  mother.  For  more  than  twenty-two  years  she  has  watciied  over 
this  son  with  tenderness  and  fidelity  never  surpassed. 

I  know  her  heart  bleeds  at  the  separation.  O  Thou  who  didst  console 
the  widow  of  Nain  speak  peace  to  her  soul,  and  bid  lier  rejoice  in  tliee ! 
What  a  favor  to  have  had  such  a  brother  I  to  have  him  leave  behind  him 
not  only  an  untarnislied  reputation,  but  the  hope  and  prospect  of  a 
bright  immortality  beyond  this  vale,  — 

"  Where  the  loved  and  parted  here  below 
Meet  ne'er  to  part  again  I  " 

April  14.  I  have  been  reflecting  on  the  causes,  in  myself,  of  the  un- 
fruitfulness  of  my  labors. 

Is  my  preaching  defective  in  doctrine,  in  illustration,  in  style,  in 
spirit?  Does  my  life  contradict  my  preaching?  Are  the  susceptibilities 
of  my  mind  such  that  it  would  be  unsuitable  for  me  to  see  the  effect  of 


LETTER   TO    HIS    CIIUPX'II.  105 

my  labors  ?  Do  I  trust  myself  more  tlian  God  ?  the  means  used  more 
tlian  the  grace,  wliicli  alone  can  make  them  effectual?  Is  my  piety  sc 
defective  that  God  cannot  honor  my  efforts  ? 

God  forbid  that  I  should  murmur.  God  forbid  that  I  should  think 
too  higlily  of  self,  or  mj  efforts.  I  am  unworthy.  If  I  must  labor  on 
witiiout  seeing  the  good  I  do,  my  desire  is  to  glorify  God. 

May  1.  This  morning  baptized  seven.  House  thronged.  Rev. 
Basil  Manly,  of  Cliai-leston,  S.  C,  occupied  my  pulpit.  A  good,  sensi- 
ble discourse. 

May  24.  Just  returned  from  a  most  affecting  scene  —  the  funeral  of 
Rev.  Bela  Jacobs,  pastor  of  the  East  Cambridge  church.  On  Sunday 
morning,  as  he  drove  to  the  church  in  his  chaise,  the  ringing  of  the  bell 
started  the  horse,  and  he  ran  furiously  until  the  wlieel  struck  a  building, 
throwing  him  out  with  such  violence  as  to  shatter  his  head  most  shock- 
ingly. He  lived  but  one  hour  after.  His  wife  survives  him.  The  event 
has  thrown  a  deep  gloom  over  the  whole  community.  To-day  we  have 
paid  him  our  last  sad  respects.  By  request  of  the  bereaved  family  and 
flock,  l^preaclied  tlie  discourse  from  Luke  xxiii.  28  :  "  Weep  not  for 
me."     Tiie  solemnitj'  was  overwhelming. 

July  15.  Returned  after  an  absence  of  forty  days.  Visited  my  dear 
mother  at  Evans's  Mills.  N.  Y.  Found  her  much  better  in  health  than 
I  expected.  Went  to  the  grave  of  my  beloved  brother  Peter.  He 
sleeps  in  Jesus.  Passed  a  few  days  at  Saratoga  Springs,  Windsor,  and 
Newport.  Health  very  much  invigorated.  "  I  will  sing  of  the  mercies 
of  the  Lord." 

During  this  absence  from  home,  he  wrote  to  his  church  the 
following  letter :  — 

EvAxs's  Mills,  N.  Y.,  June  15,  1836. 
Dear  Brethren  and  Sisters  :  After  a  fatiguing  journey  of  five 
hundred  and  fifty  miles,  we  arrived  safely  at  this  place,  and  were  cor- 
dially welcomed  by  friends  whom  we  tenderly  love,  and  from  whom  we 
have  long  been  separated.  The  meeting  was  of  that  joyous  kind 
which  reminded  me  of  tiie  final  meeting  of  pious  kindred  at  the  right 
hand  of  God  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  The  pleasure,  however,  was 
embittered  by  one  consideration.  One  member  of  the  beloved  circle 
was  absent,  and  the  breach  was  a  wide  one.  From  the  window  wiiere  I 
now  sit  I  can  see  the  little  hillock  that  rises  over  the  sleeping  dust  of  a 
dear  brother,  whom  I  had  not  seen  for  seven  years,  and  whom  I  shall 
never  again  see  until  I  behold  him  in  glory  before  the  throne  of  God. 
But  though  he  is  gone,  other  friends,  dear  friends,  are  left,  and  among 
them  a  mother,  to  whom,  for  counsels,  prayers,  and  examples,  I  owe 


106  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

more  than  to  any  other  eartlily  being.  Truly  God  is  good,  and  no  one 
of  liis  creatures  has  such  occasion  as  I  have  to  be  grateful  for  his  pecu- 
liar kindness.  So  unworthy,  so  vile  am  I,  that,  whenever  I  reflect  at 
all,  I  am  amazed  that  God  should  show  me  any  favor.  While  I  have 
breath  I  will  praise  him,  and  when  my  voice  shall  be  lost  in  death, 
praise  shall  still  employ  my  emancipated  and  purified  powers  while 
eternity  rolls. 

But,  dear  brethren  and  sisters,  do  not  imagine  that  because  I  am  in 
the  society  of  endeared  and  affectionate  kindred,  I  have  forgotten  the 
beloved  flock  "  over  wiiom  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  me  overseer." 
No,  no ;  I  love  the  church  with  an  affection  too  intense  to  be  modified 
or  diminished  by  any  circumstances. 

*'  For  her  my  tears  shall  fall, 
For  her  my  prayers  ascend, 
To  her  my  cares  anrl  toils  be  given. 
Till  toils  and  cares  shall  end." 

The  ties  that  bind  me  to  you  are  delicate  and  strong.  Your  interests 
are  mine,  your  consolations  and  sorrows  are  mine,  and  my  daily  and 
hourly  prayer  is,  that  God  will  watch  over  you  and  keep  you  unto  life 
eternal.  Yesterday,  while  thinking  of  you  and  endeavoring  to  lift  up 
my  heart  in  prayer  for  your  peace  and  prosperity,  I  had  some  sweet 
reflections  upon  the  Saviour's  language  in  the  tenth  chapter  of  John  : 
•'  My  sheep  hear  my  voice,  and  I  know  them,  and  they  follow  me,  and 
I  give  unto  them  eternal  life,  and  they  shall  never  perish,  neither  shall 
any  pluck  them  out  of  my  hands ;  "  also  upon  the  words  of  the  apostle, 
"  Ye  are  dead,  and  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God."  How  precious 
are  these  assurances !  God  has  opened  to  us  the  fountains  of  strong 
consolation.  lie  will  take  care  of  his  people.  "  His  foundation  stand- 
eth  sure,  having  this  seal  — the  Lord  knov/eth  them  that  are  his." 

Allow  me  here,  beloved,  to  make  some  suggestions  upon  some  points 
touching  your  spiritual  welfare. 

1.  The  importance  of  careful  and  prayerful  study  of  the   Scriptures. 
I  know  that  in  a  former  epistle  I  brought  this  matter  before  you,  and 
also  that  the  Lord's  day  before  I  left,  I  exhorted  you  "  to  search  the 
Scriptures."     But  such  is  the  importance  of  the  subject  that  I  cannot 
forbear  again  to  present  it,  and  entreat  you  to  take  diligent  heed  to  the 
"  sure  word  of  prophecy,"  with  wliich  our  merciful  Father  has  favored 
us.     Three  reasons  urge  upon  us  this  duty  :  — 
The  Bible  is  the  standard  of  truth. 
The  Bible  is  the  rule  of  our  duty. 
The  Bible  is  the  source  of  spiritual  nutriment. 

Let  us  not  neglect  this  blessed  book,  but  study  it  with  care  and  with 
sincere  desires  to  be  instructed  in  all  wisdom  and  righteousness. 


LETTER    TO    BALDWIN   PLACE    CHUKCH.  107 

2.  The  importance  of  prayer  in  the  closet,  in  the  family,  in  the 
church.  Do  any  of  the  members  neglect  private  devotions?  Do  any 
that  are  heads  of  families  omit  morning  and  evening  worship  around  tlie 
domestic  altar?  If  so,  your  pastor  would  affectionately  inquire  if  it  is 
rtgi/t^  to  neglect  so  important  a  duty  ?  Do  any  forsake  the  assembling 
themselves  together  for  purposes  of  social  devotion?  Dear  brethren, 
do  not  neglect  the  Friday  evening  prayer  meeting.  Last  Friday  even- 
ing we  remembered  you  with  not  a  little  feeling,  and  though  crowded 
with  others  into  the  cabin  of  a  canal-boat,  where  we  had  no  place  for 
retirement,  yet  we  conversed  upon  your  state,  and  raised  our  silent 
desires  to  the  "  God  of  all  grace,"  that  he  would  meet  with  you  and  bless 
you  abundantly.  Again  I  entreat  you  not  to  lose  your  interest  in  the 
prayer  meeting. 

3.  The  importance  of  strict  discipline.  A  cliurch  cannot  prosper 
that  connives  at  sin  in  its  members,  and  that  charity  which  shrinks  from 
plain,  faithful  dealing  with  offenders  is  false  charity,  and  deeply  injuri- 
ous. A  straightforward  course  in  discipline,  in  accordance  with  the 
rule  laid  down  by  the  Saviour,  is  the  only  one  that  will  insure  his  ap- 
probation. We  have  many  delinquent  members  whose  negligence  re- 
quires attention.  If  the  efforts  required  by  the  gospel  to  reclaim  them 
are  unsuccessful,  it  is  decidedly  wrong  to  retain  them  as  members.  May 
God  help  you  to  be  faithful  in  this  duty. 

4.  The  importance  of  carefulness  and  tenderness  in  speaking  of  one 
another.  I  greatly  fear  that  in  this  respect  there  is  not  sufficient  cau- 
tion. We  ought  not,  indeed,  to  cloak  sin ;  but  when  our  brethren  and 
sisters  do  wrong,  our  first  duty  is  to  go  to  them  and  ^5rti;ai!e??/  reprove 
them  in  tlie  spirit  of  meekness  and  love.  The  path  of  duty  in  such  cases 
is  prescribed  by  the  Saviour  himself,  and  unless  it  be  carefully  and  con- 
scientiously followed,  we  shall  all  incur  his  displeasure.  Brethren,  will 
you  not  reflect  upon  this  duty?  Let  parents  be  prudent  in  speaking  of 
the  faults  of  church  members  before  their  children,  and  let  all  be  care- 
ful how  they  speak  of  their  brethren  and  sisters  before  the  ungodly. 
The  reasons  I  need  not  assign,  for  they  must  be  obvious  to  every  mind. 

These  few  hints  I  send  you,  with  the  earnest  praj-er  that  God  will 
render  them  useful  in  promoting  your  sanctification.  My  desire  is  for 
your  perfect  holiness. 

In  conclusion,  let  me  solicit  your  prayers  not  only  that  we  may  be 
kept  from  dangers  in  our  journeyings,  but  also  that  we  may  be  pre- 
served from  sin,  and  rendered  useful  wherever  we  may  go.  Join  with 
me,  brethren  and  sisters,  in  seeking  a  blessing  on  the  unconverted  in 
the  congregation.  My  soul  groans  over  them  with  earnest  longings  fof 
their  conversion  to  God. 

Your  affectionate  pastor. 

Baron  Stow. 


108  MEMOIK   OF   DR.    STOW. 

Writing-  to  Deacon  Samuel  Beal,  from  Saratoga  Springs, 
he  says, — 

I  am  anxious  to  return,  and  shall  not  prolong  my  stay  a  moment 
beyond  the  necessities  of  the  case.  A  wandering  life  I  should  never 
love.  The  life  of  a  pastor  is  my  desire  and  my  highest  pleasure. 
Where  I  have  l-f^en  the  churches  are  exceedingly  languid.  The  whole 
country  has  been  overrun  with  the  "  new  divinity,"  and  the  moral  soil 
is  burnt  out  so  that  no  green  thing  will  grow.  In  one  place  where  there 
was  last  winter  a  protracted  meeting  of  twenty  days,  and  consequently 
a  great  excitement,  called  a  revival,  and  where  I  expected  to  see  some 
life,  I  found  all  dead  and  cold.  I  attended  there  a  prayer  meeting  of  a 
pleasant  evening,  and  only  seven  were  present!  I  longed  to  be  trans- 
ported to  Baldwin  Place.  Indeed.  I  am  often  with  you  in  spirit,  and  I 
long  to  be  present  bodily. 

The  record  of  his  journal  reveals  to  us  with  what  earnest> 
ness  he  resumed  his  labors :  — 

September  9.  On  the  fith  ult.  went  to  Providence,  and  delivered  the 
annual  address  before  the  Philermenian  Society  of  Brown  Universit}'. 
Did  not  satisfy  myself,  and  very  much  doubt  if  I  did  others.  My  busi- 
ness is  not  to  deliver  orations,  but  to  preach  the  gospel. 

November  5,  Saturday  evening.  The  Sabbath  is  again  at  hand,  and 
I  have  the  prospect  of  pleading  with  sinners  to  be  reconciled  to  God. 
Last  Sabbath  evening,  as  usual,  I  felt  I  could  say  no  more.  I  had 
pleaded  with  Christians  to  labor  for  the  conversion  of  sinners,  and  with 
sinners  to  forsake  the  service  of  sin,  and  become  the  disciples  of  Jesus. 
But  now  I  feel  Christ  has  given  me  more  messages,  and,  by  his  grace,  I 
will  declare  them.  Will  they  do  good.''  My  preaching  evidently  har- 
dens hundreds,  and  increases  their  condemnation.  "Who  is  sufficient 
for  these  things?"  Paul  was  not.  Surely  I  am  not.  O  God,  I  need 
thy  grace  to  strengthen  me.  I  cannot  bear  this  mighty  responsibility 
without  thine  aid.  It  is  a  comfort  to  lean  on  thee.  In  the  pavilion  of 
thy  faithfulness  I  hide  myself.     O,  put  me  not  to  shame. 

November  10.  Commenced  last  evening  a  course  of  lectures  on  Old 
Testament  facts,  beginning  with  the  temptation  in  Eden  Lecture-room 
crowded.     My  heart's  desire  is,  that  good  may  be  done. 

November  12,  Sabbath.  Conversed  half  an  hour  this  evening  respect- 
ing cwiiVe  consecration  to  God.  What  is  it  to  be  thus  consecrated? 
Wholly,  WHOLLY !  My  own  deficiencies  appeared  before  me  in  a  new 
light.  How  little  do  I  live  for  God  !  How  much  for  otiier  ends  than  his 
glory!  If  I  were  now  called  to  exchange  earth  for  heaven,  I  am  sure  I 
sliould  not  be  prepared  to  engage  in  the  one  great  employment  of  that 


JOURNAL.  109 

holy  world  witli  ;ill  my  heart.  A  groat  work  remains  to  be  accomplisliod 
before  I  can  say,  "  I  am  ready  to  be  offered." 

November  15.  Visited  a  lady  who  is  near  the  end  of  her  course. 
Her  soul  is  in  a  most  heavenly  frame.  Her  chamber  seems  a  nook  of 
heaven  —  its  very  atmosphere  celestial.  Would  I  could  take  my  con- 
gregation into  such  a  scene,  and  show  them  the  believer's  joy  in  pros- 
pect of  death. 

November  18.  Visited  the  same  lady  again,  and  had  another  hour's 
sweet  communion  with  her  almost  beatified  spirit.  Her  husband  has 
here  found  sweet  peace  in  believing.  The  interview  was  truly  refresh- 
ing. She  says  she  can  now  die  with  increased  felicity.  Her  companion 
she  hopes  to  moot  in  glory. 

November  19.  Had  some  intense  longings  that  the  sermons  I  am  pre- 
paring for  to-morrow  may  be  blessed.  I  have  labored  carefully  to  speak 
on  death  in  sin  and  Christ  our  life.  Wilt  thou,  O  Lord,  render  them 
effectual?     Help  thou  my  unbelief. 

November  21.  Twenty  years  this  day  my  dear  father  entered  into 
rest.  Blessed  thought !  rest  —  an  eternity  of  rest  —  eternally  with  God. 
Who  would  not  labor  and  suffer  here  a  few  years  patiently,  with  the 
prospect  before  him  of  eternal  joy !  Feel  exhilaration  to-day.  How- 
ever, it  is  not  spiritual  —  it  is  owing  to  the  society  of  endeared  friends. 
The  pleasures  of  religious  company  are  great,  exquisite.  They  will  be 
perfect  in  heaven. 

November  28.  Was  told  that  a  lady  inquired  of  one  of  my  family  if 
I  am  as  much  devoted  at  home  as  in  the  pulpit.  Important  question. 
Does  my  life  correspond  with  my  preaching?  Am  I  a  consistent  minis- 
ter? a  consistent  Christian?     Lord,  forgive  my  failures. 

December  24.  Had  some  enjoyment  to-day  in  preparing  a  sermon  to 
be  addressed  to  the  children  of  pious  parents.  Feelings  of  peculiar 
tenderness  have  been  awakened  by  a  recollection  of  the  instructions,  the 
examples,  and  prayers  of  my  own  dear  parents.  I  could  not  forbear 
bowing  more  than  once  before  God  in  gratitude  for  such  parents.  How 
much,  under  God,  do  I  owe  them  for  their  fidelity  to  me  when  young! 
Under  other  circumstances  what  should  I  have  been?  My  heart  is  full. 
Bless,  O  God,  my  dear  mother.  Let  her  days  be  many,  and  her  joys 
as  numerous  as  her  days.  May  she  and  my  beloved  father  meet  all 
their  children  in  the  mansions  of  eternal  rest.  Whether  I  shall  be  able 
to  preach  this  sermon  with  affection  and  faith  is  yet  to  be  seen.  I  pray 
for  grace  to  honor  God,  and  do  good. 

A  fcTv  individuals  have  recently  professed  to  be  the  subjects  of  grace, 
who  refer  to  my  sermons  as  having  awakened  or  comforted  them.  The 
fact  is  encouraging;  but  I  am  ashamed  of  myself  when  I  think  how  un- 
grateful I  am  for  such  favors.     I  pray  God   to  give  me   souls  for  my 


110  MEMOIR   OF   DE.    STOW. 

hire,  and  when  he  gives  them  I  fail  to  realize  his  goodness,  or  acknowl* 
edge  the  benefit.  Wretch  that  I  am,  I  overlook  answers  to  prayer  be- 
cause the  persons  converted  are  not  those  for  whose  salvation  I  have 
special  desires.  They  are  converted  one  by  one,  and  not  scores,  as  my 
pride  desires.  How  humbled  ought  I  to  be  before  God !  When  I  look 
at  the  evils  of  ni^  own  heart,  the  imperfection  of  my  motives,  my 
prayers,  my  preaching,  my  whole  efforts,  I  cannot  wonder  God  with- 
holds large  blessings.  Yet,  after  all  deductions  for  selfishness,  I  trust 
I  have  some  sincere,  disinterested  desires  for  the  salvatian  of  my  dear 
people.  J  have  had  some  enlargement  to-day,  and  this  evening,  in 
prayer  for  them.  I  long  to  see  the  arm  of  the  Lord  made  bare,  and 
stretched  out  for  the  destruction  of  Satan's  dominion.  I  long  to  see 
this  church  roused  and  quickened.  I  long  for  a  descent  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  producing  a  spirit  of  repentance,  of  confession,  of  forgiveness, 
brotherly  love,  prayer,  faith,  zealous  individual  effort.  When  shall  this 
thinj;  he  ? 


IDEALS    OF    TIJE    MINISTRV    AND     THE    CHURCH.  Ill 


CHAPTER    IX. 

The  earnest  Worker.  —  Longings  for  a  Revival.  —  A  tjsErui 
Sermon.  —  The  great  Revival  of  1838.  —  Gathering  in  the 
Harvest.  —  Missionary  Discourse.  —  Death  of  Professor 
Knowles. 

1837. 

The  year  upon  which  we  now  enter  presents  but  little  va- 
riety in  the  outward  life  of  Mr,  Stow.  We  shall  find  that 
there  is  no  diminution  of  interest  on  his  part  in  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  his  church  and  congregation.  Habit  does  not  blunt 
his  sensibilities,  neither  does  it  lead  him  to  go  through  with 
his  duties  in  a  sort  of  perfunctory  way,  satisfied  if  he  per- 
forms them  to  the  general  satisfaction  of  his  congregation. 
Every  year  his  ideal  of  the  true  minister  of  Christ  becomes 
more  lofty,  and  he  groans  in  spirit  because  he  falls  so  far  short 
of  reaching  it.  And,  too,  his  conception  of  what  a  cliurch  of 
Christ  ought  to  be,  and,  as  he  thinks,  might  be  if  it  is  properly 
trained,  becomes  more  intelligent  and  spiritual;  and,  in  his 
view,  there  is  on  earth  no  such  society  as  a  church  of.  the 
Lord  Jesus,  formed  after  the  model  in  liis  mind,  such  as  he 
believes  the  New  Testament,  under  the  inspiration  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  holds  up  to  our  view.  With  these  high  ideals 
of  ministerial  and  church  life,  we  do  not  wonder  if  sometimes 
his  heart  is  pained  as  he  reaches  the  conclusions  to  which  he 
is  brought  by  self-examination,  and  his  observation  of  the 
church  as  he  finds  it  in  his  actual  contact  with  it.  If  his  own 
soul  burns  with  the  fire  of  earnest  longings  for  the  reviving 
of  God's  work,  he  is  grieved  if  the  flame  does  not  spread 
until  the  hearts  of  his  church  are  a'^   aelow  with  a  zeal  like 


112  MEMOIR   OF   DR,    STOW. 

his  own.  If  anxiei^y  for  the  conversion  of  men  follows  hira 
to  a  slee2:)less  couch,  and  he  cannot  shake  off  the  burden,  he 
wonders  that  they,  for  whom  he  bears  these  heavy  burdens, 
are  apparently  so  careless  about  their  own  condition  and  pros- 
pects. Men  of  cooler  temperament  and  less  ardent  suscepti- 
bilities may  be  disposed  to  chide  him,  that  he  took  on  his 
heart  the  load  whicli  he  carried,  and  to  say,  that  with  a  firmer 
trust  in  the  providence  and  spirit  of  God,  he  ought  to  have 
done  his  duty,  and  left  results  with  a  higher  power.  But  he 
was  so  constituted  that  this  was  an  impossibility.  He  never 
was  satisfied  that  he  had  done  all  the  duty  which  devolved 
on  him,  and  which  was  in  some  sense  the  established  condi- 
tion of  success  in  his  work.  "  When  Zion  travails,  she  shall 
bring  forth  sons."  Anxious  as  he  was  to  see  those  "new 
births,"  without  Avhich  our  Lord  declared  there  could  be  no 
entrance  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  he  saw,  oftentimes,  very 
little  in  the  spiritual  condition  of  the  church  that  warranted 
him  to  expect  any  of  these  "  new  births."  That  his  ministry 
was  a  very  successful  one,  no  one  can  deny.  Can  it  be  doubt- 
ed that  one  secret  of  this  success  is  to  be  found  in  his  quick 
sympathies,  his  tender  solicitude,  and  his  unwearied  endeavors 
to  raise  the  tone  of  religious  feeling,  both  in  his  own  heart 
and  in  the  hearts  of  the  members  of  liis  church  ? 

January  6,  1837.  Why  do  I  desire  the  conversion  of  sinners?  There 
are  three  motives,  either  of  wliich  may  influence  me  :  — 

1.  Love  of  approbation.  A  successful  minister  gains  credit,  at  least 
among  religious  people.  He  has  the  name  of  being  "  very  pious,"  "  very 
faithful,"  &c. ,  and  this  becomes  as  much  a  snare  to  him  as  if  he  had  the 
name  of  being  "  very  learned  "  or  "  very  eloquent."  If  his  labors  are 
blessed,  he  is  in  reputation  with  his  people,  and  throughout  the  religious 
comnmnity  generally,  and  his  aid  is  sought  abroad  on  important  occa- 
eions.     It  is  one  mode  of  becoming  popular. 

2.  Benevolence  —  a  desire  for  the  happiness  of  others.  Religion 
makes  men  happy.  A  benevolent  heart,  even  though  not  itself  reli- 
gious, may  desire  others  to  possess  piety  as  the  means  of  happiness. 

3.  Love  to  God  —  a  desire  that  God  may  be  glorified  in  the  repent- 
ance and  return  of  his  rebellious  creatures  to  himself. 

Now,  which  of  these  motives  is  mine?  /  am  snre  1  desire  the  con- 
version of  sinners.     Wiiy  do  I? 


JOURNAL.  113 

I  see  a  mixture  of  motives.  After  the  most  careful  examination,  I 
can  say  tliat  I  desire  the  glory  of  God;  I  desire  to  see  his  Son  hon- 
ored witli  a  rich  triumph.  Whatever  becomes  of  me,  let  God  be  glori- 
fied. I  also  desire  tlie  happiness  of  my  fellow-men,  and  I  fear  tlie 
otlier  motive  too  often  intrudes  itself.  I  fear  I  am  selfish  in  many  of 
my  efforts.  Yet  I  think  I  rejoice  in  the  conversion  of  sinners,  even 
though  my  own  instrumentality  be  not  acknowledged,  and  the  converts 
join  other  churches.  I  have  a  vile  heart,  but  my  prayer  is,  that  it  may 
be  sanctifed.     "  Father,  glorify  thyself." 

February  2.  Finished  reading  the  Life  of  Samuel  Kilpin,  a  Baptist 
minister,  late  of  Exeter,  England.  He  was  a  very  holy  and  useful 
man.  A  man  of  much  prayer  and  much  action,  he  brought  much  to 
pass.  How  little  am  I  like  him  in  faith,  self-denial,  and  industry !  How 
few  there  are  that  exhibit  such  piety !  I  look  about  upon  the  ministers 
of  my  acquaintance,  and  see  but  few  who  can  be  called  spiritually- 
minded.  I  hear  very  little  spiritual  praying  or  preaching,  and  still  less 
spiritual  conversation.  Truly  there  is  something  wrong  in  ministers, 
and  we  must  ourselves  repent  and  turn  to  God  before  we  can  expect  to 
see  refreshing  works  of  grace  among  our  people.  "  He  that  goeth  forth 
and  weepeth,  bearing  precious  seed"  &c.  We  do  not  weep  as  we  sow 
the  seed.  Our  hearts  are  not  enough  in  the  work.  I  fear  we  are  too 
much  seeking  our  own  things  rather  than  those  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  am 
satisfied  the  ministry  is  not  what  it  should  be.  I  am  far  from  being 
"  a  good  minister  of  Jesus  Christ."     I  ought  to  be  immensely  better. 

February  19,  Sabbath  day.  Preached  this  morning  on  an  exchange 
with  Mr.  Taylor  at  the  Bethel,  Nortii  Square.  Made  wretched  work ; 
my  soul  was  dry  and  senseless.  In  the  afternoon  God  smote  the  rock, 
and  the  waters  gushed  forth.  My  subject,  founded  on  Proverbs  vi.  G, 
was,  "The  importance  of  providing  in  season  for  future  necessities." 
I  could  hardly  realize  I  was  the  same  being  who  had  labored  so  hard  to 
preach  in  the  morning.  My  desire  was  intense  for  the  conversion  of 
my  dear  people.  I  fear  I  do  not  cultivate  enough  tenderness  as  essen- 
tial to  an  effective  manner.  How  altered  are  my  views  of  preaching !  I 
once  thought  the  severe,  denunciatory,  dare-devil  style  and  manner 
were  those  which  would  do  the  most  good.  I  had  a  preference  for  the 
awful,  and  dwelt  thereon  too  much.  Possibly  I  may  still  have  too 
much  of  it  in  my  sermons,  but  my  feelings  and  views  are  certainly 
changed.  Now  I  see  a  man  may  be  faithful,  and  yet  affectionate. 
Everything  should  be  baptized  in  love.  O  that  I  might  conform  my 
preaching  to  this  truth ! 

February  24r.  Heard  of  a  member  of  the  church  —  one  baptized  by 
myself — who  had  left  the  meeting  because  of  my  "close  preaching." 
Now  and  then  I  hear  that  my  preaching  is  too  close ;  but  I  can  learn 
g 


114  MEMOIR   OF   DE.    STOW. 

from  no  one  definitively  wlmt  is  meant  by  too  close.  Do  I  not  preach  the 
truth?  Do  I  exaggerate  the  truth?  Is  the  f.iult  in  my  manner?  I  do 
not  understand  the  complaint.  O  God,  thou  knowest  that  my  con- 
science smites  me  every  day  for  unfaithfulness.  I  do  not  perform  either 
my  duty  to  the  church  or  the  world,  and  I  sutler  constantly  under  a  sense 
of  my  deficiencies.  Yet  I  fear  there  may  be  a  want  of  tenderness  in 
my  manner.  O  that  I  may  never  forget  I  am  a  sinner,  dependent  on 
the  grace  I  recommend  to  others  !  May  I  never  forget  love  is  the  grand 
solvent  of  hard  hearts.  May  I  ever  keep  before  me  the  touching  scene 
on  Olivet  —  Jesus  weeping  over  lost  souls.  Yes,,  my  dear  people,  1 
love  you. 

March  15.  Visited  a  worthy  brother  who  is  near  his  end.  Found 
him  in  a  delightful  frame  of  mind  —  dwelling  mostly  upon  that  glorious 
idea,  Christ  is  all.  His  charge  to  me  as  we  parted  was,  "  Preach 
Christ,  preach  him  more  and  more."  O  that  I  may  remember  and 
profit  by  it!     Unless  I  preach  Christ  more,  I  shall  f:iil  in  my  duty. 

April  5.  Am  told  I  have  too  much  perplexing  anxiety  about  matters 
which  should  be  left  to  God.  I  am  told  it  is  my  business  to  preach  to 
the  people,  and  visit  them,  leaving  the  results  to  ray  heavenly  Master. 
Is  it  nothing  to  me  whether  my  labors  are  a  savor  of  life  or  of  death? 
Shall  I  cultivate  a  spirit  of  indifference?  My  heart  bleeds  to  see  pro- 
fessors of  religion  so  intensely  pursuing  the  world,  forgetful  of  their 
own  vows  and  the  condition  of  men  about  them. 

Returned  from  a  trip  south.  Left  on  the  20th  ult.  Attended  the 
Convention  in  Philadelphia  for  the  formation  of  a  Bible  Society ;  was 
one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  Convention,  and  witnessed  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  American  and  Foreign  Bible  Society.  Visited  College  Hill 
(Washington)  ;  recalled  days  and  scenes  gone  by.  God  has  kindly  re- 
turned me  with  health  greatly  invigorated. 

,  June  17,  Saturday  evening.  Just  returned  from  a  scene  of  afliic- 
tion  and  mourning.  Mrs.  M.,  one  of  my  congregation,  wife  of  Mr.  N. 
M.,  about  an  hour  since  breathed  her  last.  During  her  illness  of  sev- 
eral months  I  have  visited  her  often  —  for  the  past  four  weeks  nearly 
every  day.  I  believe  her  to  be  a  Christian,  though  her  excessive  timid- 
ity and  distrust  of  herself  made  her  diffident  in  the  expression  of  her 
views  and  feelings.  She  died  very  tranquilly,  assuring  me  that  she 
rested  wholly  on  Jesus  for  acceptance,  and  was  ready  to  depart.  The 
scene  was  solemn  and  impressive. 

June  19.  Fifteen  years  ago  to-day  I  first  set  foot  in  Boston.  Little 
did  I  then  apprehend  the  scenes  that  were  before  me !  Through  what 
changes  have  I  since  passed! 

June  24  —  Evening.  Wrote  a  letter  to  a  member  of  my  congrega- 
tion whose  wife  has  recently  died,  endeavoring  to  direct  his  attention  to 


JOURXAL.  115 

Christ  as  a  friend.  Ilis  wife  was  an  amiable  Cliristian.  Afterwards  I 
reviewed  my  own  life,  and  found  abundant  oecasion  for  humility  and 
repentanee.  Reading  a  few  pages  in  the  Life  of  Dr.  Payson,  I  was 
struck  and  affected  by  a  remark  of  his,  that  "  he  was  never  happy  until 
he  reliiuxuisiied  all  desire  to  be  distinguished."  My  ambition  to  be 
great  has  cost  nie  many  hours  of  sorrow,  has  prompted  nie  to  do  and 
say  many  things  of  which  I  have  afterwards  repented,  and  has  made 
me  abhorrent  to  myself.  O  that,  like  my  Master,  I  "  was  meek  and 
lowly  in  heart"  making  myself  of  "wo  reputation!"  I  wonder  God 
does  not  hate  me ;  I  am  so  hateful,  it  amazes  me  how  he  can  love  me. 
But  for  the  depth  of  the  riches  "  both  of  his  goodness  and  loving- 
kindness  to  usward,"  I  should  despair. 

.Tune  25.  Preached  this  morning  for  the  First  Church.  Their  pastor, 
Rev.  William  Hague,  has,  the  past  week,  left  them  to  become  the  pastor 
of  the  First  Church  in  Providence.  I  feel  his  removal  to  be  a  personal 
affliction,  for  I  had  became  much  attached  to  him,  and  hoped  long 
to  labor  by  his  side. 

This  afternoon  preached  on  Conversion;  warned  and  entreated  ray 
dear  people  as  faithfully  and  affectionately  as  I  knew  how.  I  know 
not  how  I  could  say  more  in  so  short  a  time,  or  say  it  more  kindly. 

July  19.  A  review  of  my  life,  especially  since  I  commenced  preach- 
ing the  gospel,  has  filled  me  with  mortification.  How  little  have  I 
cultivated  personal  holiness !  How  much  have  I  been  actuated  by  self- 
ish motives !  How  imperfect  my  services  as  an  ambassador  of  the 
heavenly  King !  I  wonder  often  I  am  still  allowed  to  preach  the  gospel, 
still  kept  alive.  I  should  despair  at  once  were  it  not  for  the  perfect 
righteousness  of  Christ.  He  is  all  in  all.  O  that  I  may  "  win  him," 
and  "  he  found  in  him." 

"  Jesus,  I  throw  mine  arms  around, 
And  hang  upon  thy  breast; 
Without  one  gracious  smile  from  thee 
ily  spirit  cannot  rest." 

July  22.  Some  pleasant  reflections  while  meditating  on  the  offices 
of  the  Comforter,  and  was  almost  disposed  to  throw  aside  my  prepara- 
tion for  the  morrow  morning,  and  give  these  views  to  my  people. 
There  is  a  way  in  which  he  comforts ;  there  are  reasons  why  he  com- 
forts. Lord,  fix  thou  this  subject  in  my  mind.  Enable  me  to  under- 
stand, feel,  and  illustrate  it. 

October  5. 

"  Trials  make  the  promise  sweet, 
Trials  give  new  life  to  prayer." 

Within  a  few  days  I  have  been  subjected  to  unwonted  trials.  I 
doubtless  need  them.     The  correction  is  administered  by  a  Father.     0 


116  MEMOIR   OF    DU.    STOW. 

that  I  maj-  have  grace  to  endure  tlicin,  and  not  sin  against  God,  and 
to  improve  tlieni  so  that  they  may  subserve  my  sanctification !  Lord, 
purify  me  by  whatever  means  tliou  choosest.  Unless  I  am  holy  I 
cannot  see  thee. 

October  12.  A  ray  has  pierced  the  darkness.  A  young  lady  called 
to-day,  desiring  instruction,  and  expressing  some  hope,  recently  ob- 
tained, in  the  pardoning  mercy  of  God.  Her  perceptions  are  dim,  and 
her  impressions  rather  indefinite.  Her  case  is  encouraging.  This 
afternoon  I  visited  one  of  the  loveliest  young  men  of  my  flock  (S.  O.  S.), 
who  is  ill  of  typhus  fever,  and,  I  fear,  must  soon  die.  lie  has  no  hope 
in  Christ.  He  has  been  a  very  attentive  hearer,  and  a  member  of  the 
Bible  Class.  More  than  once  have  I  conversed  with  him  respecting 
the  interests  of  his  soul.  He  has  known  his  duty.  He  has  had  time, 
yea,  a  favored  season ;  but  now  his  reason  is  gone,  and  his  probation 
seems  ended.  God  gave  me  a  spirit  of  prayer  for  him,  and  I  had 
some  glimpses  of  hope  that  prayer  might  be  answered  in  liis  restora- 
tion to  life.  How  ought  I  to  live,  preacii,  and  pray !  My  people  are 
hurrying  off  to  the  bar  of  God  unprepared  to  meet  him.  May  not  the 
guilt  of  unfaithfulness  attach  to  me. 

October  13.  This  morning  at  five  o'clock  my  young  friend  men- 
tioned above  ceased  to  breathe.  The  familjs  and  a  large  circle  of 
friends  to  whom  he  was  peculiarly  dear,  are  deeply  afflicted.  May 
I  feel  the  force  of  this  admonition  not  only  to  be  ready,  but  to  use  all 
means  to  get  others  ready  also. 

October  21.  Prepared  a  sketch  of  a  discourse  from  Matt,  xxiii.  27 
—  "  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem."  Have  felt  somewhat  as  I  imagined 
Jesus  felt  when  from  his  full  soul  he  uttered  that  moving  lamentation. 
My  heart  yearns  over  my  people,  and  longs  for  their  salvation,  llov 
precious  are  tiieir  souls !  How  have  they  been  warned  and  entreated 
to  fly  to  Christ  for  protection  !  and  how  have  they  refused !  Lord,  show 
thou  nie  what  more  I  can  do  to  persuade  them  to  come  to  thee.  How 
different  should  I  preach  as  to  doctrine  and  manner?  Wouldst  thou 
have  me  do  more  by  private  eff"ort  with  individuals?  Is  there  noway 
that  these  souls  can  be  addressed,  so  God  will  render  the  truth  eff'ectual 
to  their  conversion?  I  can  tell  my  brethren  what  they  ought  to'  do. 
Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?  Am  I  doing  my  full  duty  ?  "  All 
my  help  must  come  from  thee." 

October  24.  Ten  years  ago  to-day  I  was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  and  took  upon  me  those  vows  which  I  have  thus  far  so  imper- 
fectly fulfilled.  Five  years  ago  this  evening  I  resigned  the  pastoral 
charge  of  the  church  in  Portsmouth  for  the  purpose  of  removing  to  this 
city.  I  was  to-day  asked  by  one  of  my  family  if  I  had  never  regretted 
the  step.     I  could  unhesitatingly  reply  in  the   negative.     I  have  never 


A    USEFUL    SERMON.  117 

doubted  that  I  was  required  by  God  to  remove.  Tlie  trial  was  a  sore 
one,  such  as  I  hope  never  again  to  suffer.  I  do  not  think  I  shall  ever 
love  a  people  as  I  did  them. 

December  31.  Nineteen  years  to-day  I  was  baptized.  This  morning 
I  baptized  seven  interesting  young  people.  The  house  was  crowded, 
and  the  season  a  solemn  one.  This  evening  I  preached  from  the  words, 
'■  Boast  not  thyself  of  to-morrow."  Felt  deeply,  and  had  some  enlarge- 
iLent.  0  that  my  dear  people  were  wise ;  that  they  understood  this; 
that  they  would  consider  their  latter  end  I 

Few  sermons  in  the  course  of  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Stow 
were  followed  by  such  results  as  attended  the  preaching  of 
the  one  liere  referred  to.  Some  years  after  its  delivery,  he 
wrote  a  little  sketch  of  the  circumstances  under  which  it  was 
prepared,  and  the  effects  which  followed  the  jjreaching  of  it. 
The  sketch  was  entitled  A  Useful  Sermon. 

"  In  the  summer  of  a  church  in  one  of  our  Atlantic 

cities  was  in  a  very  languid  condition.  The  attendance  on 
public  worship  was  large,  but  meetings  for  social  devotion 
were  thinly  attended,  and  the  services  were  heavy  and  spirit- 
less. The  little  life  of  the  church  seemed  to  be  concentrated 
in  a  few  who  continued  to  walk  by  fluth,  though  nearly  dis- 
pirited, while  the  great  majority  were  cold  and  Avorldly,  The 
pastor  had  for  months  been  oppressed  at  heart  by  the  un- 
promising state  of  things,  and  at  times  had  felt  that  he  must 
retire  from  a  field  where  severe  labor  had  been  productive  of 
so  little  fruit. 

"  After  earnest  prayer  for  divine  direction,  he  called  togetlier 
six  of  the  more  prayerful  and  active  brethren,  stated  to  them 
his  feelings,  and  proposed  that  they  should  hold  weekly  a 
private  meeting  for  conference  and  prayer,  with  special  refer- 
ence to  a  revival  of  piety  in  the  church.  The  proposition  was 
cordially  received,  and  the  whole  seven,  upon  their  knees, 
gave  themselves  to  the  work.  It  was  then  agreed  to  invite 
two  more  to  join  them  at  the  next  meeting.  They  came,  and 
two  were  added  at  every  successive  meeting.  In  this  way 
the  number  slowly  increased  through  a  jieriod  of  four  months. 


118  MEMOIR    OF    DK.    STOW. 

The  meetings  were  held  in  private  dwelUngs ;  few,  except 
those  personally  invited,  knew  of  their  existence.  The  pastor 
was  encouraged,  especially  as  he  found  the  weekly  prayeil 
meeting  more  fully  attended,  and  better  sustained  in  its  de- 
votional services.  Towards  the  close  of  the  year,  these  pri- 
vate meetings  were  marked  with  a  peculiar  tenderness  and 
the  spirit  of  Avrestling  prayer. 

"  On  Saturday,  December  30,  the  pastor  rose  at  a  very  early 
liour,  and  commenced  the  preparation  of  a  discourse  for  Sab- 
bath evening,  from  the  words,  '  Boast  not  thyself  of  to-mor- 
row, for  thou  knowest  not  what  a  day  may  bring  forth.'  As 
it  was  to  be  the  last  day  of  the  year,  he  wished  to  make  a 
solemn  appeal  to  the  unconverted  upon  the  danger  of  presum- 
ing on  the  future.  Scarcely  had  he  written  the  introduction, 
when  he  was  called  to  visit  an  estimable  young  man,  a  friend 
of  his  earlier  years,  who  was  regarded  as  near  his  end.  It 
was  not  yet  daylight,  but  he  hastened  to  the  chamber  of  the 
sufferer,  and  passed  two  hours  with  him,  endeavoring  to  direct 
his  attention  to  the  Saviour,  whom  he  specially  needed. 
There  he  heard  from  the  lips  of  the  dying,  words  of  apparent 
contrition  and  agonizing  desire,  which  made  upon  his  mind 
an  ineffi-iceable  impression.  He  returned  to  his  sermon  with  a 
practical  commentary  upon  his  text  which  was  better  than 
any  reasoning  of  his  own.  As  yet,  however,  he  knew  not  the 
purpose  of  God  in  thus  burdening  his  mind  with  a  painful 
fact.  In  a  few  hours  he  learned  that  the  young  man  was 
dead. 

"  The  ncxif  morning  he  preached  from  the  words  of  Christ  to 
the  cured  lunatic, '  Go  home  to  thy  friends,  and  tell  them  how 
great  things  the  Lord  hath  done  for  thee,'  showing  the  obligar 
lion  of  the  Christian  to  labor  for  the  spiritual  good  of  his 
kindred.  After  service  he  was  summoned  to  a  scene  of  x\n- 
utterable  sorrow.  A  young  lady  of  his  congregation,  Avithout 
any  apparent  cause,  had  terminated  her  own  life.  How  dread- 
ful was  that  place !  There  was  anguish  indeed.  His  burden 
before  was  nearly  iusupjiortable.  There  his  heart  was  crushed. 
What  did  God  mean  by  this  ? 


RESULTS    OF    THE    SEKJtON.  119 

"111  tbe  evening,  with  such  emotions  as  he  had  never  pre- 
viously known,  he  preached  the  sermon,  prepared  under  a 
mountain  pressure.  The  house  was  densely  filled ;  an  un- 
usual solemnity  pervaded  the  congregation  ;  but  it  was  not 
known  that  in  all  the  crowd  there  was  a  single  anxious  in- 
quirer. The  discourse  was  one  of  the  simplest  in  both  method 
and  style ;  but  somehow  it  secured  unwonted  attention.  While 
the  preacher  was  describing  and  illustrating  the  uncertainty 
of  life,  a  lady,  overcome  by  the  strength  of  her  emotions,  was 
borne  insensible  from  the  house.  A  silence  unbroken  by  an 
audible  breath  reigned,  and  paleness  came  over  many  a  face. 
At  the  close  of  the  service  a  minister  present  said  to  the 
pastor,  '  You  will  hear  from  that  sermon.' 

"  The  next  day,  the  first  Monday  in  the  year,  according  to 
its  custom,  the  church  met  for  sj^ecial  prayer.  The  lecture- 
room  was  filled ;  there  was  a  general  melting  down  before 
God ;  prayer  was  offered  v.'ith  many  tears.  In  the  evening 
more  came  than  could  find  admittance.  It  was  then  evident 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  was  acting  with  power  upon  the  minds 
of  the  unconverted.  Meetings  were  multiplied,  and  constant- 
ly thronged.  There  was  excitement,  but  it  was  deep,  still, 
and  effective.  Every  sermon,  every  exhortation,  seemed  to 
have  unusual  power,  and  do  unwonted  execution.  The  re- 
vival spread  to  other  churches,  and  large  accessions  were 
made  to  the  churches.  The  number  added  to  that  one 
church  during  the  year,  by  profession,  was  one  hundred  and 
seventy-seven,  and  in  five  years,  from  the  commencement  of 
the  revival,  five  hundred  and  two. 

"  The  pastor  did  hear  from  that  sennon,  .and  often  to  his 
amazement.  He  had  the  pleasure  of  welcoming  into  the 
church  more  than  one  Imndred  who  referred  to  tliat  discourse 
as  the  means  of  their  awakening  and  conversion.  Several 
others,  who  ])rofessed  their  faith  elsewhere,  made  the  same 
reference.  The  hand  of  God  was  perce23tible  in  the  wholo 
matter.     To  him  belongs  the  glory." 


120  MEMOIK   OF   DK.    STOW. 

1838 

We  now  enter  upon  one  of  the  most  eventful  years  in  the 
ministry  of  Mr.  Stow.  The  intensity  of  his  longings  for  the 
outpouring  of  the  Spirit  upon  his  people  has  been  apparent  in 
the  record  which  he  has  left  us  of  his  inner  life  during  tlie 
past  year.  Such  desires  as  he  felt,  and  such  prayers  as,  for 
so  many  months,  he  had  been  offering,  were  clear  proofs  that 
a  higher  power  had  been  exerting  its  influence  in  his  soul. 
We  are  not  surprised  to  learn  that  the  blessing  so  eagerly 
sought,  so  patiently  waited  for,  is  at  last  bestowed.  As  we 
have  already  learned,  the  last  Sabbath  of  the  year,  which  was 
also  the  last  day  of  the  year,  was  one  of  great  solemnity. 
Never,  probably,  had  Mr.  Stow  preached  a  sermon  which 
was  more  manifestly  attended  with  a  special  "  unction  from 
tlie  Holy  One"  than  this  sermon  at  the  close  of  the  year 
1837.  In  a  record  of  what  he  knew  to  be  the  actual  results 
which  followed  its  delivery,  he  has  told  us,  in  1857,  that 
"  more  than  one  hundred  subsequently  professed  Christ,  who 
were  awakened  under  that  sermon."  In  the  historical  sermon, 
also,  which  he  preached,  September  11,  1861,  on  the  occasion 
of  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  formation  of  the  Boston 
Baptist  Association,  he  says,  "In  1831  and  1838,  several  of 
the  churches  (and  prominent  among  them  was  the  Baldwin 
Place  Church)  were  riclily  refreshed  and  augmented,  in 
strength,  both  revivals  furnishing  an  unusual  number  of 
candidates  for  the  ministry."  His  own  words  convey  to  us 
a  better  idea  of  this  "time  of  refreshing,"  Avhich  the  Baldwin 
Place  Church  enjoyed,  than  any  we  can  select. . 

January  1,  1838.  God  lias  mercifully  permitted  me  and  my  family  to 
see  the  opening  of  a  new  year.  With  him  I  would  ''renew  covenant." 
To  him  I  would  dedicate  myself —  my  all.  To  him  I  would  look  for 
grace  to  carry  me.  forward  in  every  duty,  serving  him  with  all  my  pow- 
ers. I  wish  to  live  wholly  for  him,  to  spend  every  day  and  every  hour 
in  advancing  his  glory. 

January  7,  Lord's  day.  A  most  impressive  day.  House  exceedingly 
full,  and  the  hearers  unusually  attentive.  My  dear  Brother  Knowles 
preached  this  morning  from  the  words,  "  Behold,  now  is  the  accepted 


SERMON  ON  THE  EFFICIEXCY  OF  PRIMITIVE  MISSIONS.     121 

time,"  &c.  The  discuurse  was  very  pertinent,  pointed,  and  impressive. 
Afternoon  I  preached  from  Luke  x.  11.  Evening  prayer  meeting  was 
held  in  the  church,  which  was  filled  to  overflowing.  Tiie  oldest  breth- 
ren say,  they  "  never  saw  the  like  before."  Probably  a  thousand  per- 
sons were  present.  Many  excellent  things  were  said,  and  very  many 
fervent  prayers  were  offered.  The  indications  are  encouraging.  May 
we  all  do  duty  judiciously  and  faithfully.  My  soul  longs  especially  for 
the  conversion  of  the  young. 

January  15.  Truly  "God  is  good  to  Israel."  My  dear  people  are 
now  sharing  in  the  tokens  of  his  special  goodness.  Many  of  the  mem- 
bers have  an  unusual  spirit  of  prayer.  A  considerable  number  have 
repented  and  turned  to  God.  Many  others  —  I  know  not  how  many  — 
are  inquirers.  Verily  God  is  in  our  midst  by  his  Holy  Spirit.  To  him  bo 
all  the  glory.     May  the  good  work  go  through  the  congregation. 

February  10.     Of  all  God's  servants  I  have  most  occasion  to  be  hum 
ble  and  thankful.     The  past  week  has  been  distinguished  by  special  dis- 
plays of  God's  power  and  grace.     The  good  work  is  spreading  all  over 
the  city,  and  God  is  multiplying  on  all  sides  the  trophies  of  his  power. 

February  25.  Baptized  twenty,  three  of  whom  are  men  advanced 
in  life.     The  church  was  thronged  as  I  have  never  seen  on  a  Sabbath. 

March  3.  Read  my  journal  for  the  past  three  months.  One  feeling 
has  been  very  uniform  —  a  desire  for  the  conversion  of  my  dear  people, 
^lore  than  one  hundred  tell  me  they  have  been  converted,  and  my  soul 
would  praise  the  Lord  for  his  goodness.     But  how  many  still  remain! 

March  18,  Lord's  day.     Baptized  twenty.     A  good  day. 

March  25.  Still  more  additions.  Baptized  twenty,  making  seventy- 
one  since  the  meeting  of  the  association  in  September.  God  is  indeed 
gracious.     The  work  is  still  in  progress. 

April  8.  Baptized  twenty-four.  Many  more  are  waiting  to  follow. 
For  the  last  three  months  my  labors  have  been  severe,  but  God  has 
strengtliened  and  upheld  me  beyond  my  expectations.  If  anj'  minister 
on  the  footstool  has  occasion  to  be  humbled  and  grateful,  I  am  he. 

April  15.  Twenty-two  were  baptized.  A  most  interesting  group. 
*'  Not  unto  lis,  not  unto  us,"  &c. 

April  22.     Baptized  twenty-one. 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  delightful  but  exhaustiug  labors, 
Mr.  Stow  found  time  to  prepare  his  able  sermon  on  the 
Efficiency  of  Primitive  Missions,  which  he  jireached  before 
the  General  Convention  of  the  Baptist  Denomination  in  the 
United  States,  April  25,1838,  in  the  Oliver  Street  Baptist 
Church,  New  York.     The  effi^ct  of  the  scenes  through  which 


122  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STO'SV. 

for  many  weeks  he  had  been  passing,  and  of  the  bajDtism  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  which  himself  and  so  many  of  his  beloved 
flock  liad  experienced,  is  everywhere  traceable  in  this  dis- 
course. The  theme  which  he  proposed  to  discuss  was  this  : 
"  What  were  the  causes  which  produced  the  marvellous  re- 
sults which  attended  primitive  missions  ?  "  If  one  would  see 
bow  differently  men  reason  on  this  subject,  according  to  the 
stand-point  which  they  take,  and  according  to  the  bias  of  the 
moral  character,  which  always  has  so  much  to  do  in  reaching 
our  conclusions,  let  him  read  the  famous  chapters  fifteen 
and  sixteen  of  Gibbon's  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman 
Emj^ire,  and  this  sermon  of  Baron  Stow's.  We  select  a  few 
passages  from  the  discourse,  which  indicate  the  fervor  of  his 
spirit,  and  the  glow  of  enthusiasm  with  which  his  soul  was 
fired. 

Yet,  notwithstanding  circumstances  are  so  much  in  our  favor,  they 
made  advances  in  the  production  of  effect  sucli  as  we  have  never  wit- 
nessed. Without  the  world's  favorite  instrumentality  —  learning,  elo- 
quence, wealth,  arms — nay,  with  all  these  leagued  against  them,  and 
in  the  face  of  them  all,  the  primitive  church  expanded,  and  achieved 
triumph  after  triumph  —  all  the  triumphs  of  truth  and  holiness.  All 
the  apparatus  of  torture  and  death  was  brought  out,  and  arrayed  in  her 
path  to  arrest  her  progress ;  but  heedless  of  its  terrors,  she  moved  for- 
ward to  the  consummation  of  her  lofty  purpose.  Some  of  her  most 
malignant  foes  became  her  devoted  champions,  and  even  martyrs,  and 
every  day  new  territories  were  added  to  her  growing  empire.  Persecu- 
tion often  kindled  her  fires,  and  with  her  blood  she  as  often  extinguished 
them.  Her  progress  from  place  to  place  was  marked  by  the  dethrone- 
ment of  idol  deities,  and  the  fall  of  idol  temples.  On  the  high  places 
of  idolatry  she  planted  her  banners,  and  in  all  lands  known  to  the  mer- 
chant, the  traveller,  the  warrior,  the  trophies  of  her  power  were  multi- 
plied.    "  So  miglitily  grew  the  word  of  God  and  prevailed." 

Hereafter  we  shall  see  that  Mr.  Stow  was  a  sincere  mourner 
over  the  almost  innumerable  divisions  of  the  Christian  chmx-h. 
He  fondly  looked  forward  to  the  coming  of  the  day  when 
the  prayer  of  our  Lord  would  be  answered,  "  that  they  all 
may  be  one,  as  thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that 
they  may  be   one   in   us,  that   the  world  may  believe  that 


UNITY    OF    THE    PRIMITIVE    CIIUKCH,  123 

thou  hast  sent  me."     It  is  thus  that  ho  sj^eaks  of  the  eany 
Christians :  — 

Tlicre  were  no  clashing  creeds,  no  sectarian  bickerings,  no  rival 
interests,  no  party  plottings  and  counter-plottings,  no  wasteful  ex- 
penditure of  time,  and  feeling,  and  moral  energy,  in  attempts  to 
maintain  and  fortify  party  positions.  "By  one  Spirit"  tiiey  were 
"all  baptized  into  one  body,"  and  they  regarded  themselves,  and  were 
regarded  by  all  around  tliem,  as  members  of  o??e  liarmonious  and  de- 
voted brotherhood.  Christ  was  the  centre  of  attraction,  around  wliich 
they  rallied  and  united,  and,  like  the  radii  of  a  circle,  the  nearer  they 
drew  to  tlie  centre,  the  nearer  they  were  to  each  other.  Assimilated  by 
the  grace  of  God,  and  fused  and  welded  by  the  fires  of  persecution,  their 
affinity  and  cohesion  rendered  them  the  admiration  of  tlie  world  that 
hated  them,  and  gave  tliem  a  moral  power  which  the  modern  church 
does  not  possess,  and  never  will  possess,  until  brotherly  love  shall  re- 
sume its  ancient  influence,  and  become,  as  it  then  was,  a  "  bond  of 
perfectness,"  —  until  "  the  multitude  of  them  that  believe  "  shall  be  "of 
one  heart  and  one  way,"  keeping  "  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond 
of  peace."  O,  when  will  the  "  whole  family  "  of  Christ  become  one,  and, 
with  "  hearts  knit  together  in  love,"  discontinue  their  petty  contro- 
versies among  themselves,  and,  following  their  one  Leader,  converge 
and  direct  their  whole  energies  towards  the  one  point  —  tlie  salva- 
tion of  the  human  soul?  We  may  speculate  as  we  please  about 
the  incidental  advantages  of  our  division  into  sects  or  denomina- 
tions, comparing  th.em  poetically  to  the  prismatic  hues  of  tlie  rainbow, 
and  from  the  pulpit  and  the  platform  shouting  in  ecstasy,  "  E  pluribus 
tinum,!"h\it  the  practical  man  will  tell  us  that  if  we  would  dissolve 
the  intractable  substances  of  earth,  we  must  have  the  colorless  ray  of 
virgin  light. 

Another  extract,  which  we  give,  furnishes  additional  evi- 
dence that  he  was  living  amid  revival  scenes  when  he  wrote 
it,  and  that  his  own  soul  was  enjoying  those  visitations  of  the 
Holy  Si)irit  which  he  so  devoutly  prayed  might  be  granted 
to  the  whole  church  of  God, 

It  has  been  remarked  respecting  a  modern  preacher,  whose  labors, 
while  living,  were  eminently  blessed  in  the  conversion  of  his  hearers, 
and  who,  "  being  dead,  yet  speaketh,"  that  the  secret  of  hi^  success  lay 
in  his  devotional  habits.  He  dwelt  on  the  sides  of  eternity,  and  carried 
with  him  into  iiis  pulpit,  and  into  all  his  intercourse  with  his  people,  the 
very  atmosphere  that  circulates  around  the  throne.     Hence  a  member 


124  MEMOIR   OF   DK.    STOW. 

of  his  congregation  once  declared,  "When  our  pastor  praj-s,  it  h 
riglit  into  the  lieart  of  God.  When  he  preaches,  it  is  right  into  the  heart 
of  the  sinner."  Tliis  description,  true  perhaps  of  a  few  moderns,  is 
truer  still  of  the  great  body  of  the  ancient  preachers.  They  had  pe- 
culiar access  to  the  hearts  of  men,  because  they  had  peculiar  access  to 
the  ear  and  heart  of  God.  With  him  and  the  glories  around  him  they 
were  familiar,  and  ever  as  they  came  forth  from  his  presence,  they 
brought  to  the  people,  fresh  from  the  tree  of  life,  the  leaves  that  are  for 
the  healing  of  the  nations,  —  sparkling  from  the  river  of  life,  the  wa- 
ters "  clear  as  crystal,"  that  purify  the  unholy,  and  refresh  the  way- 
worn and  weary. 

Another  pastor,  whose  success  was  proverbially  great,  when  asked 
how  it  happened  that  under  his  ministry  "  the  word  of  God  "so  "  grew 
and  multiplied,"  returned  the  significant  answer,  "  I  have  a  praying 
chmcb."  The  early  church  was  eminently  a  praying  cliurch.  The  sin 
of  indevotion  could  not  be  laid  to  her  charge.  The  oft-repeated  and 
unanimous  request  of  the  apostles,  "  Pray  for  us,"  "  Pray  for  us  that 
the  word  of  the  Lord  may  have  free  course  and  be  glorified,"  was  never 
made  in  vain.  Indeed,  the  request  scarcely  needed  to  be  made.  The 
Christians  of  those  da^'s  waited  not  for  a  specified  season,  bu\  at  all 
times  and  everywhere  they  remembered  before  God  the  cause  of  mis- 
sions, and  the  self-denying  missionary  laborers.  In  the  closet,  in  the 
family,  in  the  church,  the  burden  of  their  prayer  was,  "Thy  kingdom 
come."  Every  prayer  meeting  was  a  concert  of  prayer  for  the  universal 
spread  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  And  theirs  were  the  effectual,  fervent 
prayers  that  avail  much.  They  knew  how  to  touch  that  delicate  chain 
which  Jesus  has  passed  over  the  tiirone,  and  by  which  the  faintest  spark 
of  holy  desire  may  be  easily  transmitted ;  and  through  it  they  sent  a 
continual  stream  of  invisible  but  powerful  intiuence  away  into  the 
deepest  recesses  of  heathenism. 

The  whole  discourse,  from  beginning  to  end,  glows  Avith 
tlie  ardent  love  and  the  burning  zeal  which  are  kindled  in 
the  soul  when  it  is  "baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with 
fire."  It  is  not  difficult  for  the  imagination  to  rej)roduce  the 
scenes  through  which  its  author  was  2)assing  when  he  was 
penning  these  eloquent  passages.  The  study  in  which  they 
Avere  written  was  his  closet  of  prayer.  Many  a  poor  sinner, 
burdened  with  the  Aveight  of  transgression,  had  found  his 
way  into  that  consecrated  room,  and  in  the  great  sorrow  of 
his  troubled  heart  had  cried  out,  "  Sii',  what  must  I  do  to 
be  saved  ?  "     What  the  preacher  had  gleaned  out  of  the  Avord 


Tiir:  iiEvivAL  OF  1838.  125 

of  God,  as  evidences  of  the  operation  of  the  divine  Spirit,  he 
now  saw,  in  actual  demonstration,  with  his  own  eyes.  It  was 
reducing  tlieory  to  practice.  Here  were  the  rough  materials 
which  the  heavenly  Architect  was  moulding,  shaping,  and 
polishing,  that  they  might  be  introduced  as  "  lively  stones  " 
into  the  temple  of  God  which  he  Avas  rearing;  or,  to  change 
the  figure,  he  who  "  commanded  the  light  to  shine  out  of 
<larkness "  was  bringing  these  precious  souls  "  out  of  dark- 
ness into  God's  marvellous  light."  He  who  gazed  upon  the 
transformation  could  but  stand  still,  and  admire  the  wondcr- 
Avorking  power  of  Him  "  who  spake  and  it  was  done,"  say- 
ing, "  Let  there  be  light,  and  there  was  light."  Blessed  is  the 
minister  of  Christ,  Avho,  in  the  earlier  years  of  his  professional 
life,  is  permitted  to  witness  such  scenes.  He  feels  the  sacred 
impulse  which  comes  from  them  so  long  as  he  continues  to 
preach  the  gospel.  His  commission  seems  clothed  with  new 
authority,  and  the  credentials  which  he  bears  from  the  eter- 
nal throne  have  enstamped  upon  them  the  seal  of  a  divine 
authority. 

If  we  mistake  not,  Mr.  Stow  always  regarded  the  revival 
of  1838  as  the  purest,  the  freest  from  the  admixture  of  those 
human  imperfections  which  so  often  mar  the  beauty  even  of  a 
work  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  that  he  was  ever  engaged  in.  His 
own  heart  was  thoroughly  interested  in  the  work,  and  he  had 
the  indescribable  satisfaction  of  seeing  a  large  number  of  the 
members  of  his  church  cooperating  Avith  him.  The  ears  of  men 
were  open  to  hear  the  truth,  and  their  hearts  to  receive  it  in  the 
love  of  it.  The  congregation  gave  to  their  pastor  their  sincere 
respect  and  their  warm  affection.  Their  confidence  in  his 
piety,  and  their  belief  that  he  was  in  earnest  in  seeking  their 
spiritual  welfare,  were  entire.  As  a  preacher,  there  was  every- 
thing about  him  that  arrested  their  attention.  His  pulpit 
services  were  full  of  "unction,"  and  the  hundreds  of  admir- 
ing listeners  who  gathered  within  the  walls  of  his  church. 
Sabbath  after  Sabbath,  were  constrained  to  acknowledge  thiit 
a  power  higher  than  human  had  taken  possession  of  that  con- 
secrated soul,  and  that  those  lips  had  been  touched  with  a 


126  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

coal  from  off  tlie  altar  of  God.  We  doubt  not  that  very  many 
who  recall  these  hallowed  services  will  say  that,  for  solemnity, 
and  power,  and  permanent  etVect,  they  have  never  seen  them 
surpassed,  perhaps  never  equalled. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Triennial  Convention,  when  the  ser- 
mon on  the  Efficiency  of  Primitive  Missions  was  preached, 
his  honored  and  cherished  friend,  Professor  J.  D.  Knowles, 
was  present.  Without  doubt  he  had  listened  to  this  dis- 
course of  his  successor  in  the  pastoral  office.  Ko  one  could 
have  rejoiced  more  sincerely  than  he  over  the  fervid  elo- 
quence and  the  earnest  spirit  of  the  preacher.  Their  ac- 
quaintance and  friendship  dated  back  many  years.  They  had 
been  fellow-students  in  college.  Both  had  been  editors  of 
the  Columbian  Star,  the  organ  of  the  General  Convention. 
The  fortunes  and  successes  of  each  had  been  dear  to  his 
brother.  Long  they  hoped  to  labor,  side  by  side,  although 
in  different  departments  of  their  Master's  work.  But  w^hen 
Mr.  Stow  returned  to  his  home,  and  again  girded  himself 
afresli  for  ministerial  toil,  he  received  the  mournful  intel- 
ligence that  his  predecessor,  and  the  friend  of  so  many  years, 
had  been  suddenly  stricken  down  by  a  mortal  disease. 

Mny  9.  Sad,  sad  news.  A  messenger  has  just  arrived  from  Newton 
announcing  tlie  death  of  my  dear  Brother  Knowles.  O  God,  can  it  be? 
For  nearly  sixteen  years  we  have  been  as  brothers,  we  have  had  each 
other's  love  and  confidence.  Now  he  is  cut  down ;  and  why  am  I 
spared?  The  better  man  is  taken,  the  worse  left.  "Verily  thou  art 
a  God  that  hidest  thyself,  O  God  of  Israel,  the  Saviour."  I  heard  on 
Monday  (the  7th)  he  was  not  well;  threatened  with  varioloid  or  small 
pox,  the  physician  could  not  determine  which.  The  next  intelligence 
is  of  his  death.  How  sudden !  how  unexpected  !  Lord,  pity  his  poor 
wife;  sustain  her,  and  comfort  her.  He  was  a  good  man.  Surely  he  has 
found  rest  in  the  bosom  of  God.  The  admonition  to  me  is  emphatic. 
"  Set  thy  house  in  order." 

May  13,  Lord's  day.  Preached  in  the  morning  from  2  Cor.  iv.  18  — 
on  "  the  eternity  of  things  that  are  not  seen."  Afternoon,  preached  a 
funeral  discourse  for  my  dearly  beloved  brother,  James  D.  Knowles, 
from  the  words,  "  That  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved"  —  John  xxi.  7.  It 
was  a  difficult  service,  not  because  there  was  little  to  be  said,  but  be- 
cause I  was  disqualified,   by  oppression  of  feeling,  to  say  it.     I  have 


JOURNAL.  127 

intended  to  do  him  justice.  If  I  liavc  failed,  may  some  abler  hand  be 
brought  to  the  effort.  I  never  thought  to  be  called  to  render  this  ser- 
vice. Often  has  it  occurred  to  me  that  he  would  preach  my  funeral 
discourse.  On  earth  I  shall  never  find  another  such  friend.  He  was 
to  me  more  than  friend  —  a  brother  "  born  for  adversity."  My  counsellor 
is  taken  from  me.  My  God,  I  come  to  thee.  I  have  leaned  too  nmch 
on  him,  and  thou  hast  cut  him  away  with  one  fell  stroke.  Henceforth 
let  me  lean  more  fully  on  God. 

May  24.  Visited  Newton.  O,  how  desolate !  Stood  over  the  grave  of 
my  brother,  my  dear  brother,  and  thought  of  the  resurrection.  Wo 
sliall  meet  again.  Prepare  me  for  that  meeting,  and  eternal  glory,  O 
God,  my  God. 


128  MEMOIK   OF   DE.    STOW. 


CHAPTER   X. 

Reaction.  —  Letter  to  Deacon  S.  Beal.  —  Physician  prescribes 
Rest.  —  Continued  Labor.  —  Colony  sent  to  Bowdoin  Square. 
—  Effect  on  his  Mind.  —  Trip  to  Europe  proposed.  —  Em- 
barkation. —  Correspondence.  —  Journal. 

1838-1841. 

It  is  not  strange  that,  after  a  season  crowded  with  so  many 
exciting  incidents,  and  the  constant  strain  made  upon  him 
by  the  vast  amount  of  work  which  the  revival  made  abso- 
lutely necessary,  Mr.  Stow  should  feel  a  craving  for  rest  and 
recreation.  It  is  not,  moreover,  strange  that  the  nature  upon 
which  he  had  made  such  continuous  and  long-protracted 
drafts  should  become  exhausted,  and  the  overtasked  brain 
should  succumb  for  a  season,  on  account  of  the  burden  it  had 
been  carrying  for  so  many  months.  We  follow  him  to  the 
homes  of  beloved  friends  in  New  York  and  Vermont.  How 
joyfully  is  he  welcomed  to  the  circles  so  dear  to  him !  With 
what  fond  pride  his  partial  friends  receive  him  whose  fame 
has  reached  their  ears.  They  behold  in  him  one  of  the  most  elo- 
quent and  successful  pastors  in  the  favored  metropolis  of  New 
England.  Dark  days, however,  and  sad  hours  were  appomted  to 
him,  and  he  must  go  down  into  the  valley  of  sorrow  before  he 
can  again  stand  upon  what  to  him  was  a  more  glorious  spot  than 
any  earthly  throne — the  platform  of  the  Baldwin  Place  pulpit. 
We  may  say  that  he  has  violated  the  laws  of  his  physical 
being,  and  he  must  pay  the  penalty  of  such  violation.  But 
how  little  is  accomplished  in  this  world  by  men  who  never 
overwork  themselves!  The  toilers  in  all  the  fields  where 
brain  and  heart  are  sometimes  so  severely  tasked,  must  expect 


SICKNESS.  129 

that  days  and  weeks  of  reaction  will  come.  But  raeanwliile 
the  seeds  which  they  have  sown  are  germinatinu-,  and  ere 
long  will  spring  up  in  a  ripe  harvest.  All  that  friendship 
could  dictate,  and  skill  could  do,  was  done  for  the  suiferer's 
relief.  Those  who  were  his  nearest  of  kin  were  by  his  side, 
and,  in  the  warmth  of  his  gratitude  and  love,  he  does  not  fail 
to  pay  a  touching  tribute  of  affection  to  her  who,  in  all  limes 
of  sorrow  as  well  as  of  joy,  stood  by  him. 

August  10.  On  the  2cl  July,  with  Mrs.  Stow,  left  home  for  a  visit 
to  dear  friends  in  New  York  and  Vermont.  On  Wednesday,  the  8th 
August,  we  reached  our  loved  and  longed-for  home.  God  has  been 
good  to  us  in  every  place  and  every  hour. 

August  26.  Immediately  after  writing  the  above,  I  was  obliged  to 
call  a  physician,  who  pronounced  me  ill  with  nervous  fever,  with  symp 
toms  of  inflamniation  of  the  brain.  For  several  days  I  was  a  sufferer, 
and  doubted  whether  I  should  ever  recover.  But  God  heard  the 
prayers  of  a  praying  churcli,  and  I  am  now  recovering.*  My  flesh  and 
strength  are  much  reduced.  Still  God  has  not  forsaken  me.  He  has 
chastened  me  like  an  affectionate  Father,  and  I  would  be  grateful  for 
the  correction.  This  is  the  eighth  Sabbatli  I  have  been  absent  from  my 
dear  people.  I  long  to  meet  them.  T!ie  Great  Shepherd  has  taken  me 
off  from  the  work,  and  he  is  able  to  take  care  of  the  flox;k. 

September  2.  By  the  great  goodness  of  God,  have  been  allowed  to 
go  into  his  house,  and  hear  his  word,  and  assist  in  administering  the 
Lord's  Supper. 

September  7.  Twelve  years  ago  to-day,  God  gave  me  the  woman  of 
my  choice  for  a  companion,  a  help-meet  along  the  rough  journey  of 
life.  During  this  period  we  have  lived  together  in  love,  and  I  have 
never  seen  the  hour  when  I  had  not  occasion  to  bless  God  for  the 
union.  Together  we  have  shared  in  the  divine  goodness  ;  together  we 
have  passed  through  trials;  in  sickness  and  health,  at  home  and  abroad, 
she  has  been  a  faithful  wife ;  all  I  could  ask;  better  than  I  have  de- 
served. May  the  Lord  in  mercy  spare  her  for  many  years  to  be  the 
partner  of  one  of  his  unworthiest  servants. 

At  length,  restored  to  his  flock,  the  pastor  addresses  him- 
self, Avith  his  wonted  zeal,  to  his  labors.  But  it  is  evident 
that  he  does  not  at  once  recover  the  elevated  tone  of  religious 
feeling  which  had  marked  the  experience  of  the  earlier  months 
of  the  year.  He  oftert  writes  bitter  things  against  himself; 
but  we  will  bear  in  mind  that,  in  the  violation  of  the  laws  of 
9 


130  MEMOIR    OF    DK.    STOW. 

his  physical  being,  he  has  clone  his  work,  and  we  must  not  be 
surprised  if  his  depression  corresponds  with  his  elevation. 

September  27.  Returned  from  a  meeting  of  the  Salem  Baptist  Asso- 
ciation, lield  at  Beverly.  Preached  yesterday  afternoon  from  Eph.  ill. 
15.  In  the  evening  addressed  tlie  meeting  of  the  Salem  Bible  Trans- 
lation and  Foreign  Missionary  Society.  Lost  my  self-control,  and  be- 
came unduly  excited.  The  consequence  has  been  a  wakeful  night  and 
lieadache.  The  cause  of  foreign  missions  has  a  strong  hold  on  my  sym- 
pathies, and  I  cannot  speak  in  its  behalf  without  emotion. 

"  Pity  the  nations,  O  our  God, 
Constrain  the  earth  to  come." 

If  I  was  a  fit  person  for  a  missionary,  I  would  offer  myself  without 
delay. 

October  14.  Last  evening  I  made  an  effort  to  preach  from  Matt.  xxi. 
37.  At  first  it  was  really  a  great  effort,  owing  to  tiie  darkness  and  slug- 
gishness of  my  mind.  After  about  fifteen  minutes,  the  subject  began 
to  open,  the  clouds  cleared  away,  and  I  had  unusual  enlargement.  My 
discourse  was  nearly  one  hour  long,  and  I  could  easily  have  extended 
it  another  hour.  It  is  delightful  work  to  preach  when  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  present,  giving  light  and  life  to  the  mind.  I  am  never  happier,  ex- 
cept in  private  devotion,  than  when  preaching  the  gospel  and  recom- 
mending the  Lord  Jesus  as  the  only,  all-sufficient  Saviour. 

Lord's  day  evening,  December  30.  Preached  twice  to-day.  The 
tide  of  feeling  is  manifestly  rising  in  the  church  and  congregation. 

December  31.  This  year  is  closing:  how  much  better,  how  much 
holier,  am  I  than  when  it  commenced  'i  Lord,  forgive  the  sins  of  the 
whole  year;  accept  my  thanks  for  its  mercies  to  mj's elf,  family,  and 
this  dear  people.  Since  the  year  commenced  I  have  had  the  pleasure 
of  baptizing  one  hundred  and  seventy-seven. 

1839. 

The  record  of  the  year  1839  contains  nothing  of  special 
interest  to  the  general  reader.  Ministerial  work  is  performed 
Avith  fidelity,  and  the  results  of  this  labor  are  thus  summed 
up:  "During  this  year  I  liave  preached  one  hundred  and 
six  sermons,  baj^tized  thirty-four  persons,  married  forty-five 
couples,  attended  thirty-eight  funerals,  and  made  nine  hun- 
dred and  sixty-four  parochial  calls."  How  much  is  compre- 
hended ill  these  brief  statistics  it  is  not  easy  to  measure! 
They  imply  constant,  hard  toil.     Brain,  and  heart,  and  body 


LETTEK  TO  DEACON  SAMUEL  BEAL.  131 

must  all  have  be^jn  j^ressed  into  the  service,  and  each  have 
done  its  work  well. 

We  find  but  one  letter  written  this  year  worthy  of  special 
note.  It  was  composed  at  Windsor,  Vt.,  where  he  was 
spending  a  few  days  of  vacation,  and  addressed  to  Deacon 
Samuel  Beal :  — 

,  AViNDSOR,  October  19,  1839. 

My  dear  Brother  :  We  arrived  here  in  safety  on  Tuesday  evening, 
Biid  found  our  friends  well.  Our  motlier  is  much  better  than  vvc  ex- 
pected to  find  her.  She  is  now  past  eiglity,  and  iier  faculties  are  much 
enfeebled,  but  she  is  happy  in  Christ,  and  has  no  desire  to  remain  an- 
other day.  O,  it  is  delightful  to  see  an  nged  Ciiristian,  jnst  ready  to 
enter  heaven,  llow  sweet  to  such,  after  the  toils  and  trials  of  a  long 
life,  to  come  into  the  enjoyment  of  the  promised  rest! 

We  hope  to  reach  Boston  on  Thursday  evening.  I  wish  I  could  be 
with  you  on  Tuesday  evening.  The  Lord  pour  out  his  Holy  Spirit  upon 
the  dear  church,  and  bring  them  near  to  himself  in  prayer  and  praise. 
I  feel  anxious  respecting  our  special  fast,  and  hope  the  beloved  breth- 
ren and  sisters  will  all  enter  into  the  spirit  of  it,  and  be  prepared  to 
renew  covenant  with  God  and  with  one  another. 

I  find  that  the  churches  in  this  region  are  in  a  most  wretched  condi- 
tion. Under  the  new  mode  of  converting  people,  without  conviction 
by  tlie  law,  they  are  filled  up  witii  unconverted  members,  and  conse- 
quently not  only  devoid  of  spirituality,  but  overrun  with  errors  and 
heresies.  Blessed  be  God  for  his  abounding  goodness  to  tlie  dear  flock 
in  Baldwin  Place.  I  know  not  how  happily  I  am  situated  until  I  leave 
home,  and  become  acquainted  with  t!ie  circumstances  of  other  pastors. 
I  would  not  exchange  my  dear  people  for  any  that  I  know  on  the  conti- 
nent. Pray  for  me  that  I  may  prove  myself  worthy  of  such  a  people 
by  laboring  with  them  and  for  them  as  a  faithful,  persevering  pastor. 
Pray  for  me  that  my  labors  may  be  blessed.  I  long  for  the  salvation 
of  my  whole  people,  and  towards  that  point  I  intend  to  direct  my  efforts 
with  all  the  wisdom  and  energy  that  God  may  give  me.  May  I  not  hope 
for  the  powerful  cooperation  of  the  church  ? 

1840. 

The  13th  of  January,  1840,  will  long  be  remembered  as  the 
day  on  which  the  i!l-lated  steamer  Lexington  was  burned  on 
Long  Island  Sound.  We  well  recall  the  shudder  of  horror 
which  ran  over  all  this  section  of  the  country  as  the  sad 


132  MEMOIK    OF    DR.    STOW. 

tidings   reached   our  ears.    Mr.  Stow   thus   alkides   to   the 
event : — 

January  IG.  Awful  tidinf,s !  the_  steamer  Lexington  burnt  on  Long 
Island  Sound  on  the  evenir.g  of  the  13th!  ]More  than  one  hundred 
souls  on  board,  and  only  four  saved !  Among  tlie  lost  is  one  of  my 
neighbors  and  hearers,  Mr.  C.  W.  W.,  a  most  estimable  man  and  a 
Christian.  Have  spent  some  hours  to-day  with  liis  afflicted  wife  and 
children.  My  heart  bleeds  for  them.  Lord,  support  hnd  comfort  them. 
They  need  thy  succor. 

Mr.  Stow  had  never  entirely  recovered  from  the  attack, 
which,  as  we  have  already  seen,  had  so  completely  prostrated 
him  a  few  months  before  this  date.  He  returned,  it  is  true, 
to  liis  labors,  but  the  burden  of  care  pressed  upon  a  spirit, 
which,  in  a  measure,  had  lost  its  elasticity.  His  anxiety  for 
the  continuance  of  the  good  work  among  his  people  had  not 
abated.  He  preached,  he  prayed,  he  toiled  with  his  custom- 
ary fervor  and  zeal.  With  the  deepest  solicitude  he  watched 
for  every  token  that  the  blessing  was  about  to  return.  "  The 
indications  for  good,"  he  tells  us,  early  in  the  year,  "  seem 
encouraging  among  us  ;  the  brethren  are  looking  for  another 
revival.  God  grant  it  may  be  so."  His  heart  is  gladdened 
by  hearing  of  the  workings  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  his  old 
church  in  Portsmouth.  He  alludes  to  meetings  held  every 
evening  in  the  week,  in  the  lecture-room  of  his  own 
church.  The  vestry  is  crowded.  Souls  are  anxious,  or  find- 
ing "peace  in  believing;"  and  as  Saturday  comes,  his  prayer 
is,  "  Lord,  assist  me  on  the  morrow,  that  I  may  give  the 
trumpet  a  certain  sound."  He  goes  through  with  the  duties 
of  the  day,  in  the  evening  attends  the  ordination  of  Rev. 
William  Howe,  to  whom  he  gives  the  charge,  and  is  weary 
and  worn  when  he  returns  to  his  home  in  Sheafe  Street.  We 
are  not  surprised  to  hear  him  say,  a  few  days  after  this,  that 
he  went  with  his  physician  to  consult  with  Dr.  J.  Jackson 
about  his  case.  Dr.  Jackson  advises  him  to  give  up  all  pvo' 
fessional  labor,  at  least  for  a  season.  "  How  can  I  at  this 
present  time,"  he  exclaims,  "  how  can  I  retire,  when  the 
services  of  two  men  are  constantly  needed ! "     The  advice 


JOUKNAL.  133 

of  the  physician  is  not  followed,  but  some  relief  is  found  from 
the  assistance  of  a  young  man  from  the  Theological  Institu- 
tion at  Newton.  The  next  extracts  will  show  the  reader 
how  little  real  relaxation  he  found. 

A])ril  5.  Proacliod  once,  nml  baptized  nineteen,  eleven  of  whom  are 
young  men.  Tlio  house  was  crowded  in  every  part,  and  I  must  hope 
good  will  appear  as  the  result  of  this  day's  services.  Afternoon  I  gave 
the  right  liand  of  fellowship  to  twenty-five,  and  administered  the  blessed 
sacrament. 

April  9.  At  six  o'clock  this  morning  public  services  were  held  at  the 
laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  the  new  church  to  be  erected  in  Bowdoin 
Square.  I  delivered  the  address.  Dr.  Sharp  and  Brother  R.  11.  Neale 
oftered  praj'crs.     The  concourse  was  large  and  attentive. 

April  26.  To-day  have  preached  twice,  and  baptized  twenty-four. 
Had  a  good  season. 

May  2.  Returned  from  New  York.  The  anniversaries  were  very 
interesting.  The  brethren  seemed  to  be  under  a  divine  influence.  The 
meetings  of  the  Foreign  Missionarj"^  Board  were  distinguished  by  fra- 
ternal harmony  and  brotherly  love,  realizing  David's  description  in 
l\<alm  cxxxiii. 

May  31.  Baptized  twenty-six.  The  oldest  candidate  was  nearly 
eighty-five,  the  youngest  was  fourteen.  The  season  was  one  of  pecu- 
liar solemnity. 

June  7.  Preached  twice,  gave  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  to  thirty- 
three,  and  administered  the  Lord's  Supper.  Enjoyed  myself  more 
than  usual  in  preaching  this  afternoon,  from  Phil.  iii.  10  —  ^'Being 
made  conformable  to  his  death."  The  Spirit  let  me  into  the  meaning 
somewhat  of  that  expression,  and  also  showed  me  there  were  still 
depths  I  could  not  yet  fathom.  Lord,  may  I  have  more  of  this  blessed 
conformity ;  then  shall  I  be  better  able  to  explain  it. 

June  21.  Preached  in  the  morning  from  the  words  "T'o  die  is  gain." 
Had  unusual  freedom  and  sweet  enjoyment.  In  the  afternoon  went  to 
Clielsea,  baptized  six,  gave  the  hand  of  fellowsliip  to  tiiem  after  preach- 
ing, and  then  we  together  enjoyed  the  "breaking  of  bread."  Attended 
a  funeral,  and  prayed  with  another  afflicted  family.  I  am  wearied  in 
body,  but  the  spirit  is  still  willing.  It  has  been  a  good  daj'  to  my  soul 
—  "  man  did  eat  angels'  food." 

September  17.  This  evening  I  have  aided  in  the  organization  of  a 
new  church  in  Bowdoin  Square  —  a  very  solemn  occasion. 

Seventy-six  of  the  number  were  dismissed  on  Tuesday  evening  by 
the  dear  church  of  whicli  I  am  pastor.  The  deduction  from  our  strength 
is  large,  and  I  have  some  fears  whether,  after  this  removal  of  so  many 


134  MEMOIR    OF   DR,    STOW. 

tried  and  faithful  helpers,  I  shall  be  able  to  sustain  the  labors  and  re- 
sponsibilities of  my  office.  I  submit  this  question  to  the  "  Head  of  the 
church."  If  1  can  remain  here,  I  shall.  I  know  of  no  spot  this  side 
of  heaven  which  I  should  prefer  to  Baldwin  Place. 

October  15.  At  times  I  am  nearly  decided  to  remain,  and  give  this 
people  the  last  remnant  of  my  strength.  A  voyage  to  Europe  is  some- 
times a  vision.  An  absence  of  one  whole  year  for  physical  rest  and  im- 
provement ! 

October  17.  Still  undetermined  and  perplexed.  My  dear  people  are 
endeavoring  to  devise  means  of  relief;  but,  though  I  love  them  for  their 
kind  intentions,  yet  I  have  little  faith  in  their  success.  The  evil  lies 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  few  who  sympathize  with  me  in  my  sufferings. 
As  they  are  sanguine  in  their  hopes,  I  may  think  it  duty  to  repeat  the 
experiment  once  more,  and  to  lay  myself  again,  perhaps  for  the  last 
time,  upon  the  altar. 

And  thus  the  weeks  and  months  had  been  crowded  with 
unremitting  labors.  The  departure  of  so  many  of  his  old 
friends,  and  among  the  band  some  to  wliom  he  was  warmly 
attached,  to  form  the  new  church,  saddened  his  spirits.  Other 
trials,  from  which  the  servant  of  Christ  must  not  expect  to 
escape,  had  oppressed  him.  He  needed  absolute  rest  and  a 
complete  change  of  employment.  The  church  saw  the  con- 
dition of  their  pastor,  and  they  were  ready  to  devise  gen- 
erous things  in  his  behalf.  What  their  proposal  was  we 
shall  see. 

October  30.  It  is  nearly  decided  that  my  wife  and  myself  shall  make 
the  tour  of  Europe,  and  be  absent  some  six  or  eight  months.  Tliis  is 
tlie  order  of  my  physicians,  and  the  expressed  wish  of  my  beloved  peo- 
]»le.  I  ought  not  to  hesitate.  The  Hon.  Nathan  Gurney  and  wife  pro- 
pose to  accompany  us,  much,  very  much  to  our  gratification.  The  Lord 
be  praised  for  such  mercies. 

November  5.  This  evening  the  new  house  in  Bowdoin  Square  was 
dedicated,  and  the  new  church  publicly  recognized.  I  addressed  the 
church,  and  gave  them  the  right  hand  of  fellowship.  Lord,  bless  tliat 
church,  build  them  up,  make  them  united,  useful,  and  happy.  Eighty 
of  the  members  went  from  Baldwin  Place,  fifty  of  whom  were  baptized 
uy  my  own  hands. 

November  29,  Lord's  day.  Preached  twice.  Gave  the  hand  of  fel- 
lowship to  fifteen,  and  administered  the  sacrament.  Solemn  season. 
Shall  I  ever  preach  to  this  dear  people  again? 


LETTKU  FROM  HALIFAX.  135 

We  arc  now  to  follow  Mr.  Stow  as  he  enters  upon  new 
Bcenes.  As  he  leaves  his  native  shores  our  prayers  go  with 
him,  and  we  beseech  Ilirn  whom  he  so  often  addressed  as 
the  "  Fathei  of  mercies  and  God  of  all  grace"  to  watch 
over  him  in  a'l  his  wanderings,  and  bring  him  safely  back  to 
the  church  of  his  love  and  the  field  of  his  toils.  Every- 
where he  bears  his  people  on  his  heart,  and  sends  them  his 
friendly  Christian  greetings.  On  Tuesday,  December  1,  he 
embarks  on  board  the  steamship  Britannia,  and,  having 
reached  Halifax,  he  sends  to  his  church  the  following  com- 
munication :  — 

Halifax,  December  3,  1840. 

Dear  Flock  of  Christ  :  Having  been  safely  brought  thus  far  on 
our  wintry  voyage,  let  me  request  you  to  join  me  in  thanksgiving  to 
God  for  his  tender  mercies  which  have  been  over  us,  shielding  us  from 
danger  and  preserving  us  from  suffering. 

The  separation  from  you,  tliough  designed  to  be  temporary,  cost  rae 
severe  and  unaccustomed  pangs,  and  I  pray  I  may  be  spared  a  repetition 
of  the  painful  process.  Now  that  I  am  away,  my  heart  still  turns  to- 
wards you,  and  towards  the  place  of  your  assembling,  afflicted  that  I 
cannot  be  with  you,  "joying  and  beholding  your  order."  Nothing  but 
the  clearest  conviction  that  duty  demanded  the  sacrifice  I  am  making 
could  ever  have  induced  me  to  take  this  step,  or  reconciled  me  to  the 
prospect  of  so  long  an  absence  from  the  people  I  love,  and  whom  I  de- 
light to  serve  in  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God.  If  there  are  any  who 
doubt  my  unwavering  attachment  to  the  church,  or  who  suppose  that  in 
leaving  them  I  am  seeking  my  own  ends,  I  only  wish  they  knew  the 
struggles  of  my  bosom  during  the  last  two  months  ;  nay,  that  they  could 
at  this  hour  look  into  my  heart,  and  see  the  emotions  which  rush  up  at 
the  recollection  of  the  dear  flock  of  my  pastoral  care.  No,  dearly  be- 
loved, I  have  not  thus  retired  from  my  post  for  a  season  because  I  love 
you  less,  but  because  I  love  you  more.  Had  I  not  done  this  I  should 
have  been  obliged  to  resign  my  charge,  and  request  you  to  procure  a 
successor,  wlio  might  render  you  a  more  efficient  and  more  constant 
service.  The  choice  was  your  own  that  I  should  go  abroad  at  your  ex- 
pense, for  your  own  sake  and  for  the  sake  of  the  cause.  T  am  acting 
in  accordance  with  your  own  wishes,  solemnly  expressed;  and  if  any  of 
your  number  differ  in  opinion  from  the  great  body,  deeply  as  I  may  re- 
gret it,  I  have  not  felt  it  right  for  me  to  yield  to  the  wishes  of  the  few 
rather  than  of  the  ma;iy.  The  Lord  be  praised  for  the  union  that  pre* 
vails  among  you,  and   nay  it  never,  never  be  disturbed. 


136  MEMOIR    OF   DR.    STOW. 

The  Lord  be  witli  you,  precious  disciples  of  ray  Master,  and  give 
you  evermore  the  spirit  of  faitli  and  tlie  spirit  of  prayer.  O,  remember 
my  hist  text;  drink  in  its  spirit,  exemplify  its  principles.  Be  faithful 
to  the  unconverted,  be  faithful  to  one  anotiier.  Hold  together  in  love, 
work  together  in  love.  Be  steadfast,  unmovable,  always  abounding  in 
the  work  of  the  Lord. 

Your  affectionate  pastor, 

Bakon  Stow. 

St.  Paul  prayed  to  be  delivered  from  "  unreasonable  men." 
From  the  foregoing  ej^istle  we  infer  that  in  even  so  loving  and 
considerate  a  oliurch  as  the  Baldwin  Place  Church  has  always 
^lad  the  reputation  of  being,  there  may  possibly  have  been  a 
few  sucli.  Had  there  been  but  one,  the  peculiarly  sensitive 
spirit  of  the  jaded,  worn  pastor  would  have  felt  it. 

His  next  letter  to  his  cliurch  bears  the  following  date :  — 

G  Queen  Street  Place,  London,   19  Dec,  1840. 

My  very  dear  Brethren  and  Sisters  of  the  Baldwin  Place 
Church:  Grace,  mercy,  and  peace  from  God,  even  our  Father,  be  mul- 
tiplied to  you  all,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

I  wrote  you  a  few  lines  from  Halifax,  not  because  I  had  anything  new 
to  communicate,  but  as  expressive  of  my  fervent  aflfection  and  of  my 
tender  solicitude  for  your  welfare.  Since  the  date  of  that  letter  we 
have  passed  over  a  long  distance,  been  exposed  to  some  dangers,  and 
experienced  much  of  the  goodness  of  God.  Our  passage  was  thirteen 
and  a  half  days,  and  was  quite  as  fevorable  as  could  be  expected  at  this 
inclement  season.  From  all  on  board  we  received  the  kindest  possible 
attention.  We  passed  two  Sabbaths  on  the  ocean,  and  though  prayers 
were  read  in  the  saloon,  we  were  quite  too  unwell  to  attend.  I  was  in 
both  instances  requested  to  preach,  but  really  I  was  not  in  preaching 
mood.  The  ship  was  quite  too  unsteady  for  my  weak  nerves.  The 
blessed  pulpit  in  Baldwin  Place  would  have  been  far  preferable.  We 
thought  of  you  during  tlie  hours  of  service,  and  wondered  who  might  be 
dispensing  to  you  the  word  of  life.  Our  prayer  was,  and  still  is,  and 
shall  continue  to  be,  that  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  may  be  with  3'ou,  and 
keep  you  alfectionately  united,  and  revive  your  graces,  and  make  you 
active  and  useful  in  promoting  the  interests  of  Christ's  kingdom. 

The  next  day  after  our  arrival  at  Liverpool,  we  left  for  London  l)y  the 
way  of  Birmingham.  We  have  now  been  in  London  two  days,  during 
wliich  time  we  have  been  engaged  in  preparations  for  our  tour  upon  the 
continent.     Of  course  we  have  not  been  able  to  become  acquainted  with 


LETTER  FROM  EXGLAXD.  137 

inimy  of  the  excellent  Cliristians  with  which  this  city  ahoumls.  It  is 
now  Saturday  evening,  a  time  when  I  have  been  accustomed  to  prepare 
for  preacliing  on  tiie  holy  Sabbatli.  Instead  of  preparing  sermons  I  am 
doing  tlie  best  thing  I  can  as  a  substitute.  Accept  this,  dearly  beloved, 
as  a  token  of  my  afFectionato  remembrance,  and  of  my  readiness  to 
serve  you,  even  though  separated  from  you  by  thousands  of  miles. 

I  long  anxiously  to  hear  from  you,  and  to  leara  how  you  are  prosper- 
ing in  the  Lord.  I  doubt  not  that  you  have  good  preaching.  May  you 
profit  by  it,  and  grow  in  both  grace  and  knowledge.  Are  your  prayer 
meetings  well  attended?  Are  they  deeply  spiritual?  Do  you  agree  as 
touching  what  you  shall  ask  of  a  prayer-hearing  God?  Are  you  anx- 
ious for  the  conversion  of  souls?  O,  my  dear,  dear  brethren  and  sisters, 
fail  not  to  keep  your  skirts  clear  of  the  blood  of  souls.  Let  them  not 
perish  through  your  neglect. 

No  essential  cliange  has  yet  occurred  in  my  health.  I  expect  no 
improvement  until  I  reach  milder  climes.  I  need  not  say,  "  Pray  for 
us."  Your  very  afiectionate  pastor. 

Baron  Stow. 

In  the  correspondence  which  was  thus  begun  by  the  absent 
pastor,  we  notice  the  warmth  of  affection  which  was  so  prom- 
inent a  feature  in  his  character.  A  few  of  the  letters  which 
were  sent  to  him  as  replies  we  have  foitnd  among  his  papers. 
They  are  fall  of  expressions  of  attachment  on  the  part  of  his 
church,  and  earnest  prayers  that  their  minister  may  recover 
liis  health,  and  be  restored  to  them  again.  We  resume  the 
thread  of  our  narrative  in  the  w^ords  of  Mr.  Stow. 

London,  December  20.  At  half  past  six  went  to  St.  Jolin  Chapel, 
Bedford  Row,  to  hear  the  Hon.  and  Kev.  Baptist  W.  Noel.  The  chapel 
is  very  spacious,  containing  seats  for  twenty-two  hundred.  The  service 
was  well  i-ead  by  an  aged  clergyman  with  a  strong,  clear  voice.  Mr. 
Noel  preached  from  1  Peter  i.  18,  19.  The  discourse  was  decidedly 
evangelical  in  sentiment,  chaste  and  simple  in  style.  lie  is  represented 
as  one  of  the  most  laborious  and  useful  ministers  in  the  Establishment. 
God  give  the  Churcli  of  England  many  more  such. 

Paris,  December  28.  Several  Americans  called,  and  showed  much 
kind  sympathy.  It  is  good  to  find  friends  who  know  how  to  show  kind- 
ness without  charging  five  francs  for  it. 

Paris,  December  29.  Still  feeble  and  ineflacient.  Kind  friends  still 
overwhelm  us  with  attentions.  Walked  around  the  garden  of  the 
Palais  Koyal  with  Mrs.  S.     Tiie  sliops  are  magnificent.     Tiie  French 


138  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

truly  understantl  the  art  of  display.  Every  American  we  have  yet  seer 
here  testifies  they  will  lie  and  cheat.  How  could  we  expect  truth  and 
honesty  among  an  infidel  people.^ 

1841. 

Januar}'  1,  1841.  Called  on  Dr.  Motte,  a  distinguished  physician 
from  New  York,  now  here  with  his  family  for  the  improvement  of  his 
health.  He  made  minute  inquiries  respecting  my  case,  and  said  it  most 
exactly  resembled  his  own.  Approved  of  my  course  in  leaving  home, 
and  the  field  of  my  labor,  and  recommended  that  I  remain  for  a  consid- 
erable period,  hoping,  by  these  means,  for  full  recovery.  My  mind  is 
quite  at  ease  upon  one  point;  that  is,  tlie  question  if  I  had  not  made  a 
mistake  in  yielding  to  the  advice  of  my  Boston  physician  and  friends  in 
coming  to  Europe. 

Have  received  invitations  from  General  Cass  and  lady  to  dine  with 
them  on  Friday. 

Paris,  January  3.  Though  far  away,  and  surrounded  by  exciting 
novelties,  yet  my  mind  is  more  occupied  with  this  one  subject,  the  sal- 
vation of  my  dear  people,  than  with  any  or  everything  else.  Nothing 
would  impart  a  purer,  richer  satisfaction  than  to  hear  of  a  revival  in 
Baldwin  Place.  Lord  Jesus,  my  Saviour  and  my  Friend,  grant  me 
this  sweet  satisfaction. 

In  the  evening  Dr.  Wayland  called  and  took  tea.  His  conversation 
was  both  instructive  and  spiritual.  At  ten  he  closed  the  interview  with 
a  most  humble,  fervent  prayer.  This  evening  will  be  remembered  by 
us  in  years  to  come. 

After  he  left,  we  took  a  walk  through  the  Place  du  Carrousel,  and 
looked  at  the  illuminated  palace  where  the  queen  was  receiving  "  the 
calls  "  of  ladies  by  thousands,  and  this  on  the  Lord's  day.  Afterwards 
walked  upon  the  Pont  Koyal,  and  gazed  upon  the  splendid  scene  up  and 
down  the  river.  Beautiful  evening!  beautiful,  enchanting  sight!  but 
alas !  how  does  God,  the  Holy  One,  look  down  upon  this  people,  upon 
what  tliey  are,  and  what  they  are  doing?  Returned  grateful  that  I  was 
born  in  America,  "  that  goodly  land,"  a  land  of  Bibles,  Sabbaths,  a  re- 
publican. Christian  land. 

Paris,  January  4.  Had  I  no  other  object  in  tiiis  tour  than  sight-see- 
ing, I  should  at  once  turn  about  and  go  liome  to  my  work.  It  is  small 
business  for  persons  in  health.  A  man  wlio  has  but  one  life  to  live,  and 
that  a  short  one,  has  enough  else  of  more  imjjortance  to  do.  If  I  had 
not  the  hope  of  regaining  my  health,  so  as  to  enable  me  to  continue  my 
lal)ors  at  Baldwin  Place,  I  would  not  proceed  another  league.  Much  as 
I  should  like  to  sec  Italy,  Greece,  and  especially  the  Holy  Land,  I  know 


JOURNAL.  139 

not  how  I  could  account  to  Christ  for  time  iind  money  thus  employed,  if 
my  own  gratification  were  the  primary  object. 

January  6,  evening.  Called  on  Rev.  Mr.  Baird,  IC  Rue  de  la  Fernie 
des  Mathurins,  and  conversed  upon  professional  subjects.  His  piety 
i-j  of  the  gentle,  sweet,  attractive  kind.  O  that  Paris  had  a  thousand 
such,  as  salt  in  the  midst  of  her  impurity,  as  lights  in  the  midst  of  her 
darkness. 

Paris,  January  7.  Our  party  were  invited  to  the  soiree  of  General 
and  Mrs.  Cass,  at  nine  and  a  half  this  evening  —  a  kind  of  business  that 
ill  accords  with  my  healtli  and  reelings.  My  fear  in  attending  is,  that  I 
shall  do  something  inconsistent  with  my  profession  as  a  Christian  and  a 
minister.  Lord,  keep  me  in  the  path  of  purity.  I  would  not  be  squeam- 
ish or  over-careful,  but  I  would  "  magnify  mine  office,"  and  please  my 
Master. 

January  8.  Dined  with  a  compan}'  of  sixteen  gentlemen.  Among 
tliem  were  Monsieur  Julienne  de  Paris,  secretary  of  Robespierre,  also 
of  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  and  Monsieur  Champollion,  brother  of  the  cele- 
brated Monsieur  Champollion,  whose  investigations  in  Egyptian  hiero- 
glyphics have  so  much  interested  the  learned  world.  General  Cass  is 
much  interested  in  the  same  subject,  and  has  written  two  articles  in  the 
North  American  Review.  Two  of  the  South  American  ministers  were 
present,  one  from  Chili,  tlie  other  from  Montevideo. 

January  11.  Mr.  Buckingham  called.  We  conversed  upon  the  pro- 
priety of  clergymen  doing  in  Paris  what  they  would  not  do  in  America. 
His  remarks  were  somewhat  piquant,  and  showed  his  views  of  Christian 
consistency.  It  seems  public  opinion  does  not  make  it  a  question  of 
right  and  wrong,  but  of  consistency.  I  feel  it  would  be  wrong  in  me 
"to  go  everywhere."  Theatres,  operas,  balls,  and  all  amusements  of 
that  class,  I  regard  as  wrong  in  themselves.  They  are  unbefitting 
moral,  accountable  beings ;  they  minister  to  depravity.  They  who  fol- 
low them  "live  after  the  flesh."  I  therefore  avoid  them,  not  only  as  a 
Christian  and  a,  Christian  minister,  but  as  a  man,  a  being  wiiom  God 
has  made  "a  little  lower  than  the  angels;"  a  being  destined  to  an  im- 
mortal life. 

Paris,  January  12.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  the  purest  gospel  is  preaclied 
in  the  humblest  places.  It  would  add  nothing  to  the  effectiveness  of  tlio 
evangelical  message  to  have  it  proclaimed  in  the  Madeleine,  or  St. 
Sulpice,  or  Notre  Dame,  or  even  in  St.  Paul's  and  St.  Peter's.  Plain 
and  convenient  places  of  worship  are  decidedly  the  best. 

Walked  through  the  Place  de  la  Concorde,  into  Champs  Elysees.  In 
the  evening  read  aloud  in  Oliver  Twist.  Dickens  is  truly  a  powerful 
writer;  his  sketches  of  character  are  exceedingly  graphic  and  vivid; 
he  makes  each  distinctly  visible,  inside  and  out. 


140  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

The  following  letter,  which  he  wrote  to  his  church  and 
congregation  may  properly  be  introduced  here :  — 

Paris,  January  H,  1S41. 

My  DEAR  People  :  Before  I  left  America  I  was  earnestly  entreated  by 
many  of  you  to  throw  off  all  care  and  anxiety,  and  surrender  myself  to 
mental  as  well  as  bodily  relaxation.  This  I  have  endeavored  to  do  as 
far  as  possible;  but  God,  who  knows  my  heart,  can  best  tell  how  diffi- 
cult it  is  for  me  to  detach  my  thoughts  and  solicitudes  from  the  jjeople 
whom  I  have  reason  to  love,  and  whom  I  shall  ever  love,  so  long  as 
this  heart  continues  its  throbbings.  As  the  Sabbath  comes  round,  how 
can  I  forget  Baldwin  Place,  and  the  people  and  the  scenes  associated 
with  that  hallowed  spot?  I  could  not  if  I  would,  I  would  not  if  I 
could.  Every  Sabbath  since  I  left  you  I  have  in  spirit  been  present  in 
that  temple  where  witli  an  aching  heart  I  bade  you  adieu.  The  assem- 
bly has  been  before  me,  and  I  have  anxiously  looked  round  to  see  if 
any  were  missing,  desirous  to  be  assured  that  all  had  j^rinciple  enough 
regularly  to  fill  their  places,  and  to  know  that  wlioever  might  stand  as 
my  substitute,  he  had  a  full  attendance  of  devout  and  attentive  worship- 
pers. I  have  had  before  me,  also,  the  whole  choir,  not  one  absent,  and 
as  heretofore,  lifted  my  heart  to  God,  that  he  would  inspire  their  hearts 
to  feel,  as  well  as  their  lips  to  pronounce,  the  praises  which  they  sing. 
I  have  sympathized  with  the  preacher,  and  joined  the  longings  of  my 
heart  with  his,  that  the  message  of  love  might  reach  your  hearts,  and 
be  made,  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  power  of  God  unto  your  salvation.  O 
my  people,  how  has  my  heart  yearned  over  you,  and  poured  its  peti- 
tions into  the  ear  of  the  Lord  of  Sabaoth,  that  you  might  be  profited  by 
the  hearing  of  the  gospel!  Much  as  I  should  rejoice  to  be  employed 
by  God  as  the  subordinate  agent  in  your  conversion,  yet  I  should  be 
delighted  to  know  that,  even  through  the  labors  of  others,  you  had 
come  to  the  saving  knowledge  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  You  and  I 
may  not  meet  again  on  earth,  but  we  must  meet  at  the  bar  of  the  Son 
of  Man.     0  that  our  meeting  there  may  not  be  a  painful  one ! 

As  the  evenings  consecrated  by  you  to  social  prayer  recur  one  after 
another,  I  am  also  with  you  in  spirit,  beholding  the  familiar  faces,  and 
joining  in  the  devotions  —  such  devotions  as  the  angels  love  to  observe, 
and  the  Saviour  honors  with  his  promised  presence.  These  precious 
seasons  have  a  deep  hold  on  my  heart,  and  wherever  I  may  rove  or  rest, 
tliey  will  not,  they  cannot,  be  forgotten.  If  anything  associated  with 
them  detracts  from  my  comfort,  it  Is  the  thought  that  so  many  of  my 
dear  people  love  not  the  place  of  prayer,  and  habitually  stay  away  from 
those  sacred  scenes  where  true  piety  finds  its  congenial  home.  How 
happens  it,  my  dear  hearers,  that  you  have  such  an  aversion  to  tlie 


LETTER    FKOJI    PARIS.  141 

prayer- room,  such  dislike  of  prating  society?  Can  you,  in  sucli  a  state 
of  inintl,  have  one  qualification  for  heaven?  I  beseech  you,  lay  this 
subject  deeply  to  heart,  and  be  neither  too  worldly  nor  too  proud  to 
meet  witli  the  people  of  God,  and  there  lift  up  your  hearts  witii  theirs 
in  supplication  for  the  promised  influences  of  the  Holy  Sjiirit. 

Since  I  left  America  I  have  seen  six  Sabbaths,  but  I  have  not  preached 
a  single  sermon,  and,  owing  to  the  state  of  ni}'  health,  iiave  attended 
public  worship  only  twice.  We  have  endeavored  to  maintain  family 
\7orship,  and  in  this  J  have  found  much  comfort.  Last  Sabbath  Dr. 
Wayland  called  at  our  lodgings,  and  prayed  with  us,  and  expounded  the 
eighth  chapter  of  Romans,  and  we  conversed  together  upon  the  things 
of  the  kingdom  of  God.  But  the  service,  refreshing  as  it  was,  painfully 
reminded  me  of  the  privileges  from  which  I  am  for  several  long  months 
to  be  exiled. 

We  are  in  the  midst  of  a  people  who  pay  no  religious  regard  to  the 
holy  Sabbath,  and  who,  though  they  are  decorated  with  crosses,  are  '^the 
enemies  of  the  cross  of  Chi-ist.'"  ^^God  is  not  in  all  their  thoughts." 
They  "  live  after  the  flesh."  O,  when  shall  the  gospel  be  preached  here 
in  its  purity  and  power,  and  this  wicked  city  be  distinguished  by  revivals 
of  religion  ? 

All  that  I  liave  seen  here  and  in  England  only  makes  rae  love  my  coun- 
try the  more.  I  love  the  land  of  my  birtii,  not  for  her  buildings,  piles 
of  brick,  and  wood,  and  stone,  not  for  her  armies,  her  navies,  her  mili- 
tary schools,  her  painting,  her  statuary,  but  for  her  constitution,  her 
laws,  her  churches,  her  schools,  her  libeity,  her  religion,  her  thousand, 
thousand  excellences  and  privileges,  of  which  the  old  world  knows 
nothing,  and  under  her  present  system  can  know  nothing.  I  love  my 
country  because  she  is  the  best  spot  on  the  earth  in  which  to  recover 
the  lost  image  of  God,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  If  I  get  no 
other  good  by  this  temporary  absence,  I  shall  certainly  obtain  this  — 
the  deeply-wrought  conviction  that  Americans  have  occasion  to  be  grate- 
ful and  contented.  No  consideration  but  the  one  which  tore  me  from  my 
loved  home  and  my  loved  duties  would  induce  me  to  remain  in  Europe 
longer  than  I  could  find  a  safe  and  swift  conveyance  away  from  her 
polluted  shores.  He  wlio  preaches  "  total  depravity,"  without  having 
seen  it  as  here  developed,  knows  it  only  in  theory.  I  have  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  millennium  is  somewhat  farther  off  than  I  formerly 
supposed.  Cliristianity  has  much  to  do  before  even  France,  wi:h  her 
thirty-five  millions,  shall  be  prepared  for  the  reign  of  the  Son  of  Man. 

For  particulars  respecting  my  health,  I  must  refer  you  to  my  friend 
and  brother.  Dr.  E.  W.  Leach,  to  whom  I  have,  some  days  since,  for- 
warded a  letter  containing  a  detail  of  facts.  Many  of  you  know  that  I 
was  never  very  sanguine  as  to  the  result  of  this  tour.     1   submitted  tc 


142  MEMOIR    OF   VR.    STOW. 

the  judgment  of  others,  because  I  had  not  confidence  in  my  own,  and 
because  it  appeared  in  tlie  circumstances  to  be  the  only  course  which  I 
could  take,  and  yet  retain  my  place  as  your  pastor.  The  best  wisdom 
that  God  gave  was  used,  and  nothing  has  occurred  to  change  my  opinion 
tliat  the  step  taken  was,  on  the  whole,  the  best.  My  medical  adviser  here 
—  and  lie  lias,  perhaps,  no  superior — says  that  I  have  followed  right 
counsel ;  and  if  I  stay  away  two  or  three  years,  I  may  be  able  to  resume 
my  parochial  duties  with  some  prospect  of  safety.  Such  an  absence, 
however,  I  do  nut  think  of  for  a  moment.  I  shall  carefully  obey  the 
instructions  of  my  Boston  physician,  and  follow  out  your  wishes,  and 
then,  by  God's  permission,  return,  and  hope  to  be  able,  not  only  to  re- 
sunip,  but  long  continue,  these  labors,  which,  by  a  strange  paradox,  are 
my  life,  though  they  have  well  nigh  been  my  death.  I  know  of  no 
other  way  than  to  do  present  duty,  and  leave  the  future  to  Ilim  whose 
purposes  are  as  wise  as  they  are  inscrutable. 
I  remain,  dear  friends,  as  ever. 

Your  affectionate  and  devoted  pastor, 

Baron  Stow. 

What  n  warm,  affectionate  heart  is  spread  out  before  our 
gaze  in  this  loving  communication  to  the  clturch  and  society, 
of  whose  welfare  he  never  lost  sight !  He  was  not  insensible 
to  the  charms  of  the  beautiful  capital  of  France.  There  Avere 
many  objects  of  interest,  which,  as  a  tourist,  he  desired  to  see. 
In  the  diversion  which  Avas  given  to  his  thoughts,  and  the 
necessary  physical  exercise.  Avhich  he  was  obliged  to  take, 
who  can  doubt  that  he  found  the  best  medicine  for  the  res- 
toration of  his  prostrated  nervous  system?  We  will  look 
through  his  eyes  as  he  passes  from  place  to  place,  and  with 
him  will  visit  spots  so  memorable. 

Paris,  January  15.  At  eleven  we  four  took  a  fiacre,  and  went  first  to 
the  Palace  of  the  Luxembourg.  The  paintings  there  surpass  evciything 
we  have  yet  seen.  Went  into  the  Chamber  of  Peers,  also  Chambre  ti 
Coucher  de  Marie  de  Medicis,  a  splendid  apartment  decorated  in  the 
most  sumptuous  style  for  those  times.  Went  next  to  St.  Sulpice,  and 
there  witnessed  a  Catholic  funeral. 

Visited  Notre  Dame.  Stood  on  the  spot  where  Napoleon  was  crowned. 
Saw  the  robes  worn  by  the  archbishop  and  by  Napoleon  at  the  corona- 
tion.    Splendid  trifles. 

In  the  evening  took  tea  at  Mr.  Baird's,  where  I  met  a  pleasant  com- 
pany of  French  and  American  Christians;  among  them  were  Messrs. 
Audebez,  Lutterwoth,  and  Koussel. 


JOURNAL.  143 

Moi.sieur  Roussel  is  a  preaclier,  but  not  a  pastor.  Is  editor  of  a  reli- 
gio-political  paper,  called  L'Esperance.  He  is  below  the  medium  size, 
witli  a  face  that  indicates  mind  and  severe  study.  He  is  said  to  be  a 
truly  pious  man,  a  lover  of  the  truth.  As  an  editor  he  is  often  severely 
sarcastic,  especially  on  the  Catholics,  thus  pleasing  his  infidel  readers, 
who  care  little  for  liis  orthodoxy,  provided  he  will  "cut  hard"  upon 
"  the  hypocrites." 

We  passed  the  evening  pleasantly.  It  was  good  to  find  Frenclimen 
who  could  talk  about '' the  grace  of  God,"  and  "justification  l)y  faitli 
alone,"  as  if  tliey  understood  and  loved  what  they  said. 

Paris,  January  17.  Another,  and  the  fourth  Sabbath  in  Paris.  Went 
to  ill 3  Church  St.  Roch,  in  Rue  St.  Honore.     Heard  a  discourse  fjrom 

Monsieur ,  the  priest  wlio  went  out  to   St.  Helena  with  tlie  Prince 

de  Joinville  after  the  remains  of  Napoleon.  His  manner  was  spirited 
and  every  way  impressive.  The  queen  was  present,  and  appeared  very 
devout.  She  is  spoken  of  by  all  as  a  very  good  woman.  She  is  dis- 
tinguished for  her  simplicity  of  manners  and  dress,  her  industry  and 
benevolence. 

Weather  soft  and  balnw.  Walked  through  the  garden  of  the  Tuile- 
ries,  and  saw  thousands  of  people;  all  civil  and  orderly. 

Paris,  January  18.  Went  to  the  Foundling  Hospital.  Rode  next  to 
the  Triumphal  Arch  L'Etoile,  a  huge  and  splendid  structure,  commem- 
orative of  military  events.  From  the  summit  we  had  a  fine  view  of 
Paris  and  its  environs.     Height  one  imndred  and  fifty-two  feet. 

Lyons,  January  2i.  Left  Paris  January  21.  We  took  the  whole  of 
the  Intcrieur,  and  provided  ourselves  with  as  many  comforts  as  we  coujd 
aflord.  Tlie  air  was  uncommonly  clear  as  we  emerged  from  Paris.  It 
was  delightful  to  look  abroad  upon  earth  and  sky,  and  breathe  the 
healthful  atmospliere.  We  took  our  route  par  Chalons  sur  Saone.  We 
were  sixty-five  hours  on  the  road,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  nineteen 
and  a  half  French  leagues,  or  three  hundred  English  miles.  We  reached 
Lyons  this  (Sunday)  morning  at  seven  o'clock.  Pleased  enough  to 
arrive  without  trespassing  more  on  holy  time.  The  ride  has  been  a 
very  tedious  one,  but  we  have  sufTered  no  more  than  we  anticipated. 
Some  parts  of  the  country  were  lightly  covered  with  snow;  others  were 
quite  bare.  In  some  places  the  ground  was  soft;  in  others,  hard  frozen. 
The  frightful  stories  told  us  in  Paris  of  the  state  of  the  roads  were  hap- 
pily untrue.  The  road  was  nil  the  way  exceedingly  good.  It  is  a  mac- 
adamized road,  and  along  tlie  whole  lengtli  were  heaps  of  broken  stone, 
ready  to  be  thrown  in  when  the  road  at  any  point  becomes  soft  or 
yielding.  ' 

Thousands,  nay,  millions,  of  acres  we  have  seen  covered  with  vines, 
especially  in  Burgundy.     It  must  be  a  most  beautiful  route  in  summer, 


144  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

As  in  otlicr  parts  of  France,  we  saw  more  of  the  women  than  the  men, 
as  they  were  out  with  tiieir  donkeys  bearing  various  articles,, such  a? 
vegetables,  wood,  &c.,  to  the  nearest  markets.  The  houses  are  clustered 
compactly  in  villages,  with  no  appeai-ance  of  cleanliness  or  of  comfort. 
Some  of  the  cafes  where  we  took  our  meals  were  disgustingly  dirty. 
The  coffee,  with  boiled  milk,  has  everywhere  in  France  been  a  luxury, 
and  the  bread  excellent,  though  baked  in  shapes  that  appear  ludicrous. 

Lyons,  January  2.5.  Went  up  and  down  the  Khone ;  viewed  the  quaj'S 
and  bridges.  Ascended  the  hill  west  of  the  Saone,  on  which  stood  the 
ancient  city  Lugdunum;  prospect  was  extensive.  Visited  the  man- 
ufactories of  silk  tapestry. 

River  Rhone,  Januaiy  2G.  So  we  are  here  in  a  French  steamer, 
upon  the  ancient  Rhodanus,  hastening  rapidly  towards  the  Mediterra- 
nean. The  whole  region  through  which  w^e  are  passing  is  classic 
ground,  containing  remains  of  Roman  antiquities,  such  as  aqueducts, 
bridges,  &c.  No  place  has  so  much  interested  me  as  Vienne,  a  short 
distance  below  Lyons.  Here  the  Christians  of  early  times  were  furi- 
ously persecuted.  The  gospel  was  preached  through  all  this  part  of 
France  very  soon  after  the  ascension  of  our  blessed  Saviour.  Query, 
if  Paul  visited  England,  did  he  pass  up  the  Rhone?  What  route  did  he 
take  into  Sjiain  ? 

Avignon,  January  27.  In  three  hours  from  St.  Esprit  Ave  reached 
this  ancient  and  famous  city.  Went  into  the  Chapelle  du  St.  Office, 
where  the  popes  perform  their  devotions.  Next  was  the  Chapelle  de 
ITnquisition,  where  those  who  were  condemned  "  pour  crime  d'here- 
sie  "  to  sutfer  punishment,  came  to  make  the  "  amende  honorable." 
Then  we  entered  the  Salle  des  Tortures,  where  the  heretics  were  dealt 
with  after  the  manner  of  St.  Dominic.  A  part  of  the  oven  remains 
into  which  they  were  thrust  to  be  roasted  into  confession. 

Next  came  the  "  Tribunal  de  ITnquisition,"  where  the  heretics  were 
tried.  After  this  we  saw  the  "  Tour  de  Taurias,"  a  prison  designed  for 
criminals.  Thence  we  went  upon  the  rock,  the  highest  part  of  the 
city,  where  the  prospect  up  and  down  the  Rhone  is  very  fine ;  also  the 
famous  country  of  Languedoc. 

Avignon,  January  29.  Yesterday  afternoon  we  took  a  caleche  and 
visited  the  tomb  of  Laura — "  Tombeau  de  la  belle  I.aure."  She 
was  interred  in  the  church  of  the  Cordeliers,  which  was  demolished 
fifty  years  ago,  during  the  French  revolution.  Parts  of  the  walls  are 
still  standing,  and  the  ruins  lie  in  heaps  on  all  sides.  The  site  of  the 
church  is  now  a  garden,  of  a  very  ordinary  character.  The  spot  upon 
which  strangers  have  gazed  with  so  much  interest  is  marked  by  a  small, 
rude  monument,  erected  in  1823  by  Charles  Kelsall,  a  travelling  Eng- 
lishman.    It  is   encompassed  by  a   row  of  small  cypresses,  thirty  in 


JOURNAL.  145 

number,  set  in  elliptical  form;  four  small  weeping  willows  bend  over 
the  spot  hallowed  to  so  many  minds  by  deeply  interesting  associations. 

Avignon.  January  30.  At  eleven  o'clock  took  a  cal6clie,  and  went  out  to 
Vauclusi',  fifteen  English  miles.  The  road  lay  througli  a  pleasant,  well- 
cultivated  country,  which  in  summer  must  be  most  delightful  to  tlie  eye. 
We  passed  several  villages  where  the  inhabitants  were  mostly  out  of  doors, 
upon  tiie  southern  sides  of  tlieir  houses,  saving  fuel  by  warming  them- 
selves in  the  sun.  We  saw  several  women  spinning  flax  upon  small, 
awkwardly  constructed  foot-wlieels,  bearing  some  resemblance  to  tiiose 
which  my  grandmother  used.  A  greater  portion  of  the  ground  was 
ploughed,  and  planted  with  madder  and  teasles,  the  principal  products 
of  this  neighborhood.  We  saw  on  the  way  beautiful  hedges  of  cypress, 
also  rows  of  the  plane  tree,  in  our  country  the  "sycamore,"  or  "button- 
wood."  Upon  a  ridge,  rocky  and  gravelly,  we  saw,  the  first  time,  the 
olive,  of  which  there  are  extensive  orchards.  The  plain  lands  were 
planted  with  the  white  mulberry. 

At  LTsle  our  coaclnnan  was  obliged  to  stop  to  get  a  shoe  set  on 
one  of  the  horses.  Mr.  G.  and  myself  walked  until  we  came  to  the 
•'  Hotel  de  Petrarque  et  de  Laure,"  "which,"  Madame  Starke  says  "is 
celebrated  by  travellers  for  its  dinners,  consisting  of  excellent  trout  and 
other  fish."  We  were  met  by  the  landlord,  a  bluff,  blowzy  man,  impor- 
tuning us,  in  his  peculiar  patois,  to  take  dinner  at  his  house.  As  we 
had  determined  to  do  so,  we  ordered  it,  hoping  for  once  to  get  a  dinner 
that  would  relish  "at  trois  francs"  per  head.  Our  caleche  came  up 
soon  after,  and  in  half  an  hour  more  we  were  at  Vaucluse,  a  little  vil- 
lage of  eighty  inhabitants.  The  road  wound  along  the  stream,  which 
dashed  limpidly  and  rapidly  over  the  rocks.  On  our  right,  as  we  as- 
cended, was  the  torrent;  on  our  left,  as  also  on  our  right  across  the 
stream,  were  high,  precipitous  rocks,  which  became  higher  and  bolder 
as  we  advanced.  Occasionally,  between  the  path  and  the  water,  there 
was  a  small  patch  of  earth,  containing  a  cypress,  or  an  olive,  and  a  few 
garden  vegetables.  The  bed  of  the  stream  was  in  many  places  cov- 
ered with  a  vegetable  most  luxuriantly  green,  and  manifestly  a  lover 
of  pure  cold  water.  I  pulled  some,  finding  it,  from  its  appearance 
and  odor,  to  be  a  species  of  parsnip. 

Half  way  from  the  village  to  the  fountain,  on  the  bank  opposite 
to  the  path,  are  the  ruins  said  to  be  of  the  house  of  Petrarch,  occu- 
pied by  him  some  five  hundred  years  ago.  It  must  have  been  about 
one  hundred  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  torrent,  and  had  but  one  way 
of  access  —  by  a  steep  ascent  on  the  west  side. 

At  the  distance  of  about  one  quarter  or  one  third  of  a  mile  from 
the  village,  we  arrived   at   the    termination  of  the  path.     It  was  the 

10 


146  MEMOIK    OF    DK.    STOW. 

fountain  of  Vaucluse !  We  stood  in  silent  admiration,  liardly  able  to 
believe  that  we  were  upon  the  spot  of  which  we  had  read  much,  and 
of  which  we  had  heard  many  speak  in  terms  bordering  upon  enthusiasm. 
We  felt  an  interest  in  tlie  associations  of  the  place;  besides,  there  was 
grandeur  in  the  scene.  We  stood  where  the  sun  is  seldom  seen,  so  en- 
closed is  the  spot  by  liigh,  overhanging  rocks,  which  we  could  not  con- 
template without  awe  approaching  to  terror.  At  our  feet  wa?  a  quiet, 
limpid  pool,  some  fifteen  or  twenty  yards  in  diameter,  supplied  copiously 
from  hidden  sources  known  only  to  the  Creator,  and  unruffled  either  by 
the  wind  from  above  or  the  rushing  waters  from  beneath.  The  rock  is 
calcareous,  and  the  stones  around  covered  with  tufa.  I  have  seen  some 
of  the  sublime  scenes  of  nature,  but  none  whose  sublimity  resembles 
that  of  the  scene  before  me.  It  was  peculiar,  and  led  me  to  think  not 
of  Petrarch,  but  of  Him  who  made  all  these  things,  and  before  whom  Pe- 
trarch and  his  contemporaries  must  stand  in  judgment. 

The  sun  was  declining,  and  we  turned  reluctantly  away,  bearing  with  us 
some  memorials  of  the  spot.  The  whole  of  this  chasm  in  the  calcareous 
rock,  varying  in  depth  from  two  hundred  to  three  hundred  feet,  exhibits 
proof  of  having  been  worn  down  by  the  action  of  the  current.  At  the 
height  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  and  even  two  hundred  feet  from  the 
present  bed  of  the  stream,  are  large  excavations  in  the  sides  of  the 
rock,  evidently  produced  by  attrition  of  water.  When  was  all  this 
done?  pow  long  has  this  fountain  been  flowing?  Was  it  ever  nacre 
copious  than  now?  What  do  geologists  say  of  these  striking  phe- 
nomena? 

The  quantity  of  water  poured  from  this  fountain  is  immense.  At 
L'lsle  the  stream  is  divided  into  several  canals,  in  each  of  which  there 
is  water  sufficient  to  turn  heavy,  cumbrous  water-wheels. 

At  eight  we  reached  our  lodgings,  and,  what  is  unusual  for  us,  called 
for  tea.  Since  we  have  entered  France,  we  have  breakfasted  from 
nine  to  ten,  and  dined  from  four  to  six.  So  we  have  dispensed  with 
suppers,  and  of  course  with  tea.  At  ten  o'clock  read  John  xvii.,  and 
found  it  good  to  draw  near  to  God  in  prayer.     Precious  privilege. 

Avignon,  February  1.  Engaged  our  places  for  Marseilles  —  toot 
the  whole  intcrieur  "  for  thirty-six  francs,  or  six  francs  apiece  for  us 
four." 

Marseilles,  February  2.  Left  Avignon  at  six  o'clock  last  evening, 
had  a  cheerful  ride,  reached  Aix  at  five  this  morning,  then  took  refresh- 
ments. At  daylight  we  found  ourselves  approaching  a  better  country, 
and  appearances  improved  as  we  advanced.  The  houses,  gardens,  vine- 
yards, and  olive-yards  all  indicated  moi'e  neatness,  thrift,  and  comfort 
than  we  had  seen  or  expected  to  see  in  France.     At  nine,  instead  of 


jouBisrAL.  147 

levcn,  as  promised,  we  were  sot  down  in  Marseilles,  in  the  Hotel  de 
rOfient,  a  new  house,  better  arranged  and  apparently  better  kept  than 
anything  we  had  seen  in  Europe,  —  not  even  excepting  Dee's  Royal 
Hotel  in  Birmingham. 

After  breakfast  went  directly  to  the  banking-house,  and  to  my  great 
gratification  found  letters  from  home ;  all  well  and  prosperous  up  to 
January  1.  The  Lord  be  praised.  Deacon  B.  gives  a  most  encoura- 
ging account  of  the  state  of  tiie  church  and  congregation  —  no  death,  no 
sickness,  and  prospect  of  a  revival.  The  Lord  in  mercy  pour  out  his 
Holy  Spirit  and  bless  his  own  word,  and  hear  the  prayers  of  his  people. 
The  committee  have  engaged  Rev.  Mr.  Johnston,  a  native  of  Scotland, 
late  pastor  of  tiie  church  in  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  to  preach  until  my  return. 
May  he  do  that  dear  people  great  good. 

We  have  taken  our  places  in  the  steamer  Phararaond,  which  leaves 
to-morrow  at  four  P.  M.  for  Naples,  via  Genoa,  Leghorn,  and  Civita 
Vecchia.  As  we  went  down  the  harbor  in  a  boat  to  examine  tlie 
steamer,  I  had  some  peculiar  emotions,  occasioned  by  the  thouglit  that  I 
was  actually  on  the  Mediterranean  ;  tliese  emotions,  mingling  with  those 
awakened  by  tlie  letters  from  home  and  the  thoughts  of  home  produced 
a  state  of  mind  quite  new,  well  nigh  overwhelming. 

Harbor  of  Genoa,  February  4.  When  I  rose  this  morning  it  rained, 
but  the  clouds  soon  cleared  away,  and  disclosed  on  our  left  the  Italian 
coast,  with  high  mountains  capped  with  snow;  the  Sardinian  towns 
scattered  along,  some  in  the  gorges  of  the  hills,  and  close  down  by  the 
sea;  others,  high  up  on  their  sides,  gave  to  the  scene  an  air  highly  pic- 
turesque. In  the  afternoon,  the  wind,  north-east,  increased  to  a  gale, 
and  I  was  driven  to  my  berth  by  the  motion  of  the  vessel.  At  six  we 
came  to  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Genoa,  where  we  hope  to-morrow  to  go 
on  shore.  The  storm  is  furious  indeed;  .and  we  feel  that  we  have  occa- 
sion for  special  gratitude  to  God  that  we  are  safe  in  port. 

AYe  are  pleased  with  Genoa.  It  lies  in  a  semicircle  around  the 
harbor,  and  upon  the  sides  of  the  Apennines,  in  tlie  form  of  an 
amphitheatre.  The  view  from  the  outer  harbor  is  particularly  charm- 
ing. The  streets,  though  narrow  and  crooked,  are  tolerably  clean. 
The  people  are  well  dressed  and  orderly.     We  saw  very  few  beggars. 

Leghorn,  February  6.  Left  Genoa  in  due  French  time,  that  is,  two 
hours  after  the  time  promised.  At  five  this  morning  we  reached  Leg- 
horn. As  the  captain  promised  not  to  leave  till  four  P.  M.,  saying  he 
should  start  precisely  at  that  hour,  we  took  carriages,  seven  persons  in 
all,  and  went  out  to  Pisa,  some  twelve  or  fourteen  miles  nortli  of  Leg- 
horn. The  road  was  delightful,  winding  through  a  level  country,  well 
cultivated,  and  lined  on  either  hand  with  the  white  mulberry,  and  vines 


148  MEMOIR   or    PR.    STOW. 

trained  from  tree  to  tree  in  a  manner  that  must  be  beautiful  indeed 
when  in  full  foliage.  "We  were  often  accosted  by  beggars,  that  w&uld 
come  hobbling  up  to  the  carriage  windows  as  if  very  decrepit;  but  when 
our  coachman  quickened  the  pace  of  his  beasts,  they  would  quit  their 
hobbling,  and  run  with  a  speed  which  we  could  scarcely  outstrip.  In 
two  hours  and  a  quarter  we  were  set  down  at  the  "  Hotel  des  Trois 
Demoiselles,"  in  Pisa,  fiicing  the  Arno,  now  swollen  and  turbid.  En- 
gaging a  cicerone,  we  set  off  at  once  to  see  the  most  important  lions. 
On  our  way  we  stopped  to  take  a  passing  look  at  the  Clmrch  of  St. 
Stephen;  soon  we  were  at  the  foot  of  the  "  Leaning  Tower,"  the  ad- 
miration of  the  world;  next  came  the  Cathedral,  the  most  splendid 
church  we  have  yet  seen  ;  next  the  Baptistery,  once  used  for  the  immer- 
sion of  both  adults  and  infants,  now  only  for  the  sprinkling  of  infants. 
Madame  Starke  says,  "The  practice  of  immersion  was  discontinued  in 
the  thirteenth  century."  Why?  we  ask,  why?  The  building  is  spacious, 
with  some  very  handsome  bassi-relievi.  We  reached  Leghorn  at  three. 
After  slight  refreshment  at  a  damp,  dark  restaurant,  hurried  on  board, 
the  boatmen  quarrelling  who  should  take  us  off,  and  thus  make  a  few 
sous  of  the  job.  We  were  punctual,  as  required.  The  steamer  got  under 
way  at  five  and  a  half.  We  were  grieved  that  we  could  not  have  had 
this  time  on  shore,  for  we  much  desired  to  see  the  cemetery  and  the 
synagogue. 

Civita  Vecchia,  February  7.  Reached  this  place  at  eleven  and  a  half 
this  morning;  had  a  very  boisterous  passage,  with  head  wind,  and  heavy, 
rolling  sea.  Confined  to  my  berth  all  the  way.  It  is  the  Lord's  day. 
E.  and  myself  went  by  ourselves  on  deck,  and  read  several  of  the  Psalms 
of  David  —  "sweeter  than  honey  and  the  honey-comb,"  especially  the 
sixty-first  and  sixty-second,  with  the  eighty-fourth.  The  rest  of  our 
company  went  on  shore;  but  as  it  was  the  Sabbath,  we  preferred  to 
spend  the  few  hours  while  in  port  in  the  most  devotional  way  possible. 
We  had  no  retired  place  for  joint  prayer,  but  still  found  it  good  to  lift 
our  hearts  on  high,  to  praise  and  pray  "in  secret  silence  of  the  mind." 

Naples,  February  8.  Had  another  boisterous,  uncomfortable  night. 
At  ten  and  a  half  this  morning  we  entered  the  grand  mole  of  Naples. 
The  sea  was  so  heavy,  and  the  ship  rolled  so  badly,  I  could  not  go  on 
deck  as  she  passed  up  the  bay ;  so  I  lost  that  beautiful  view  of  tlie  city, 
of  which  travellers  speak  with  such  raptures.  We  had  so  many  cere- 
monies to  go  through  on  shipboard,  and  at  the  custom-house,  we  did 
not  reach  our  hotel  until  three  P.  M.  Wc  have  found  a  home  for  a  day 
or  two  in  the  "Hotel  de  liussie,"  directly  on  the  beach,  and  facing 
the  bay,  in  Strada  di  San  Lucia. 

Naples,  February  9.  We  walked  to  the  Ville  Reale,  a  most  beautiful 
promenade  along  the  beach  of  the  bay,  for  a  mile  or  more  elegantly 


JOURNAL.  14^ 

set  out  with  trees  and  shrubbery,  and  liberally  interspersed  v.  ith  statues 
and  fountains.  It  was  full  of  gay  company.  Vesuvius  is  in  full  view 
from  our  windows,  but  ever  since  our  arrival  has  been  capped  with 
clouds.  Tlie  day  has  been  charming,  and  we  have  realized  what  is  meant 
by  '•  the  silken  climate  "  of  Italy.  An  Italian  said  to  us  at  Marseilles, 
"  O,  you  will  find  a  sweet  climate  at  Naples;"  and  so  we  have  found. 
Surely  every  day  cannot  be  like  this. 


1^0  MEMOIE   OF   l>lt.   STOW. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

Improved  Health.  —  Letter  to  the  Baldwin  Place  Church.  — 
Naples.  —  Rome.  —  Northern  Italy. 

1841. 

It  is  evident  from  the  journal  of  Mr.  Stow,  that  the  de- 
cision to  which  he  came,  to  break  away  from  tlie  cares  of  the 
ministry,  was  a  wise  one.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  the  tone  of 
his  animal  spirits  is  very  much  raised,  that  he  derives  sincere 
pleasure  from  sight-seeing,  and  that  he  exercises  his  wonted 
discrimination  in  observing  the  objects  which  pass  imder  the 
notice  of  his  eye.  We  rejoice  to  see  this  improvement  in  his 
feelings,  and  predict  that  in  due  time  he  will  retura  to  his 
duties  with  new  strength. 

The  following  communication,  addressed  to  the  Baldwin 
Place  Church,  indicates  the  warm  affection  of  the  absent  jjas- 
tor  for  his  beloved  flock :  — 

Naples,  February  10,  1841. 
Dearly  beloved  Brethren  and  Sisters  :  My  last  communication  to 
you  was  dated  at  London,  about  twenty  days  after  I  bade  you  a  painful 
and  reluctant  adieu.  I  now  address  you  from  this  classic  land,  where,  at 
almost  every  step,  I  am  reminded  of  bj'-gone  generations,  of  whose 
deeds  I  have  all  ray  life  been  reading,  and  among  the  ruins  of  whose 
greatness  I  have  long  desired  to  wander.  I  am  writing  before  a  win- 
dow which  faces  the  beautiful  Bay  of  Naples,  and  from  which  I  can  dis- 
tinctly see  Mount  Vesuvius,  one  of  the  chimneys  of  the  globe,  from 
whose  crater  the  smoke  is  continually  issuing.  I  can  hardly  realize 
that  I  am  here,  looking  out  upon  the  Mediterranean,  that  sea  so  famed 
in  sacred  and  profane  history  —  the  sea  that  laves  the  shores  of  Greece, 
Egypt,  Asia  Minor,  and  Palestine  —  the  very  sea  upon  which  Paul  the 


LETTER  TO  HIS  CHURCH.  151 

prisoner  was  tcmpcst-tossed  wlien  on  liis  way  to  Rome  to  sustain  liis  ap- 
peal to  Caesar.  Yet  so  it  is.  By  the  great  goodness  of  God  I  am  here, 
and  within  fifty  yards  of  me  tlie  billows  of  that  Mediterranean  are 
breaking  upon  the  beach.  A  thousand  associations  rush  into  my  mind, 
and  I  am  overwhelmed  with  emotion.  Yet,  amidst  the  multiplicity  of 
thoughts  and  the  gush  of  feelings,  there  is  one  prominent  thought, 
there  is  one  master  feeling.  It  is  the  thought  of  home  —  it  is  the  feel- 
ing occasioned  by  a  recollection  of  the  endeared  objects  in  that  far-off 
land  from  which  I  am  a  temporary  exile.  The  needle  does  not  more 
surely  turn  towards  the  north  than  does  my  heart  towards  the  west. 
Many  degrees  of  longitude  separate  us,  but  my  affection  for  the  people 
of  my  charge  docs  not  diminish  as  I  recede.  I  am  surrounded  by  ob- 
jects of  animating  interest,  which  I  find  pleasure  in  contemplating;  but 
they  do  not  counteract  the  attractive  force  of  home,  nor  will  they  de- 
tain us  an  hour  beyond  the  time  appointed  for  our  return.  Were  our 
principal  object  accomplished,  we  would  gladly  turn  our  faces  at  once 
towards  the  western  continent. 

Our  original  purpose,  you  know,  was  to  visit  the  Holy  Land.  We 
have  all  along  hoped  that  the  political  diflficulties  would  be  settled  in 
season  to  allow  us  to  proceed  without  jeopardy  or  inconvenience.  As 
yet  the  prospect  is  rather  discouraging,  and  we  fear  that  we  shall  be 
compelled  to  relinquish  our  purpose.  At  present  we  could  not  travel 
in  that  country  without  a  military  escort  —  a  convenience  which  we  did 
not  bring  with  us,  and  which  we  could  not  easily  command.  The  disap- 
pointment to  us  will  be  great,  for  we  had  anticipated  our  highest  pleas- 
ure in  visiting  Bethlehem,  Nazareth,  Jordan,  Capernaum,  Bethany, 
Gethsemane,  and  Calvary.  But  as  matters  now  are,  the  hazard  at- 
tending such  a  visit  is  greater  than  we  could  prudently  run.  However 
pleasant  to  the  Crusaders  was  the  thought  of  laying  their  bones  in  the 
land  of  Judea,  I  confess  there  is  nothing  romantic  to  me  in  being 
robbed  by  a  horde  of  Arabs,  or  of  welcoming  among  my  heart-strings 
the  point  of  a  Turkish  sabre.  Unless,  therefore,  we  hear  of  something 
more  favorable  touching  the  condition  of  Syria,  we  shall  hardly  ven- 
ture into  the  Levant.  In  that  case  Naples  will  be  the  utmost  limit  of 
our  tour.  We  should  bo  glad  to  visit  Greece,  but  the  attractions  there 
are  not  of  themselves  sufficient  to  induce  us  to  encounter  the  discom- 
forts of  another  sea  voj^age. 

We  arrived  in  this  city  on  the  8th  instant.  Why  we  did  not  reach 
here,  as  we  intended,  a  month  sooner,  you  will  probably  have  learned 
^rom  my  letter  to  the  congregation.  I  was  detained  at  Paris  by  an  ill- 
ness, which,  at  one  time,  rendered  it  doubtful  whether  I  should  be  able 
to  proceed  another  league,  but  which  God  in  mercy  removed,  so  that, 
»fter  twenty-six  days,  I  resumed  my  journey.     At  Avignon,  about  five 


152  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

hundred  miles  south  of  Paris,  I  had  another  attack,  wliiuh  delayed  us, 
however,  only  a  few  days.  From  Marseilles  we  came  to  this  place  by  a 
steam  packet,  which  touched  at  Genoa,  Leghorn,  and  Civita  Vccchia. 
"We  were  five  days  on  the  passage,  which  was  rather  uncomfortable, 
owing  to  a  heavy,  rolling  sea,  occasioned  by  southerly  winds.  We 
really  do  not  fancy  sea  life,  and  shall  have  as  little  of  it  as  possible. 
Our  return  route  will  be  by  land,  through  the  pope's  dominions,  Tus- 
cany, Lombardy,  Sardinia,  Switzerland,  Germany,  Belgium,  &c. 

■  We  have  seen  many  interesting  objects,  from  some  of  which  we  have 
gained  instruction.  I  cannot  in  a  single  letter  do  anything  at  descrip- 
tion, .and  therefore  shall  not  attempt  it.  But  I  will  just  say  that,  as  a 
Baptist,  I  was  particularly  interested  in  the  "  Baptistery,"  at  Pisa. 
That  is  the  name  of  a  splendid  circular  edifice,  which  will  contain  three 
thousand  persons.  The  architecture  is  magnificent,  and  the  amount  of 
money  expended  upon  it  must  have  been  immense.  It  stands  near  the 
Grand  Cathetlral,  and  was  erected  for  the  administration  of  baptism,  in 
those  good  old  days  when  the  ordinance  was  un corrupted.  The  font  is 
in  the  centre,  elevated  a  little  above  the  floor,  with  a  fountain  which 
supplied  a  continual  stream  of  pure  water.  Since  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury this  font  has  fallen  into  disuse,  and  now  stands  a  silent  but  keen 
reprover  of  those  who  trifle  with  Christ's  institutions.  Upon  the  rim  of 
this  font  a  marble  basin  has  been  fitted,  from  which  the  little,  uncon- 
scious candidates  are  sprinkled.  0,  if  that  font  had  a  tongue,  how 
would  it  speak  out,  and  ask  the  innovators  by  what  authority  they  have 
made  the  change,  and  so  miserably  perverted  the  significance  of  the  holy 
rite ! 

We  have  visited  many  cathedi-als  and  churches,  and  while  we  have 
admired  the  architecture  and  paintings,  we  have  been  displeased  and 
grieved  at  the  ignorance  and  superstition  of  both  the  priests  and  the 
people.  O,  brethren  and  sisters,  bless  the  Lord  that  you  were  born  in 
America!  Fail  not  to  appreciate  your  privileges  and  your  respon- 
sibilities. 

Vou  will,  of  course,  be  gratified  to  know  that  I  feel  encouraged  re- 
sj)ecting  my  health.  It  has  improved  considerably  since  I  reached  a 
milder  climate.  Here  the  air  is  soft  and  balmy,  and  I  think  the  effect 
will  be  favorable.  The  fields  are  green,  farmers  are  planting  their 
seeds,  and  roses  and  other  flowers  are  blooming  in  the  gardens.  We 
have  not  all  the  comforts  of  home,  but  we  have  more  than  we  expected. 

While  at  Marseilles  I  received  a  precious  letter  from  Deacon  Beal, 
iated  January  1,  which  gave  a  most  satisfactory  account  of  your  condi- 
tion and  prospects.  I  rejoice  to  hear  that  you  continue  united.  God 
forbid  that  any  "  root  of  bitterness  "  should  spring  up  to  trouble  you, 
that  any  heresy  should  creep   in   to   lead   any  astray,  that  any  of  you 


THE    traveller's    RECORD.  153 

eliouUl  be  driven  about  by  winds  of  doctrine.  Dearly  beloved,  I  am 
persuaded  better  things  of  you,  and  things  that  accompany  salvation, 
though  I  thus  speak.  "  Faithful  is  lie  that  hath  called  you,"  and  I  am 
confident  that  he  will  keep  you  from  schism,  and  error,  and  defection. 
I  beseech  you,  keep  the  cords  of  discipline  straight.  Deal  kindly  with 
one  another,  and  yet  faitlifully.  Seek  for  the  peace  and  purity  of  the 
body.  Hold  iogether.  Work  together.  Be  one  in  heart,  one  in  action, 
and  the  God  of  love  and  peace  will  be  with  you. 

The  younger  members  of  the  flock,  my  own  dear  children  in  the  Lord, 
I  e.xliort  to  abide  true  and  faithful  to  their  profession.  Cultivate 
acquaintance  with  the  older  members.  Seek  their  society,  follow  their 
counsel.  Ye  "  are  my  joy  and  the  crown  of  my  rejoicing  in  the  day  of 
the  Lord  Jesus." 

I  long  to  hear  that  sinners  are  converted  among  you,  and  hope,  im- 
mediately on  my  return,  to  have  many  to  bury  in  baptism.  1  have  not 
preached  a  sermon  since  I  left  home,  nor  performed  any  other  public 
service.  INIonths  will  elapse  before  I  shall  be  where  a  congregation 
could  understand  me. 

Now,  beloved,  once  more  adieu.  Pray,  pray  for  us.  You  have  our 
coustant  prayers.  "The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with 
you  all." 

With  unwavering  attachment, 

Your  absent  pastor, 

Baron  Stow. 

Other  and  similar  letters  may  have  been  written  by  the 
absent  pastor  to  his  church ;  but  if  so,  they  have  been  mis- 
laid. Fortunately  the  record  of  his  movements  is  so  full,  that 
we  are  able  to  supply  every  deficiency  in  this  respect.  We 
have  read  not  a  few  books  of  travel,  the  scene  of  which  was 
laid  in  the  fair,  classic  land  of  Italy ;  but  we  think  the  record 
of  the  wanderings  of  our  })ilgrim  friend  Avill  compare  favora- 
bly with  that  of  any  other  traveller.  We  are  to  keep  in  mind 
that  he  was  an  invalid  ;  that  excitement  and  fatigue  affected 
his  sensitive  brain,  and  often  prostrated  his  sjjirits.  The  life 
of  a  busy  sight-seer  is  one  which,  while  it  is  full  of  richest 
enjoyment,  makes  a  peculiar  draft  on  the  vital  energies.  After 
a  long,  wearisome,  and  most  active  day  of  running  about  a 
great  city,  and  viewing  its  objects  of  interest,  it  is  not  always 
easy  to  sit  down  at  the  late  evening  hours,  and  carefully  and 
elegantly  pen  do\An  the  results  of  the  day's  work.     Nowhere, 


154  MEMOIR   OF   PPw    STOW. 

we  think,  does  the  great  faciUty  for  writing,  ibr  which  the  sub- 
ject of  this  Memoir  was  always  distinguished,  show  itself  more 
conspicuously  than  in  the  chaste  and  beautiful  manner  in 
which  he  has  recorded  the  adventures  of  his  life  as  a  tourist. 
Cheerfully  we  let  him  act  as  the  guide  of  our  readers,  as  he 
takes  them  over  spots  of  so  much  romantic  interest  as  those 
which  he  visited  in  Southern  Europe. 

Naples,  February  10.  Went  with  our  party  to  the  Studii  Publici, 
or  Museo  Borbonico  Reale,  and  examined  several  of  the  galleries, 
especially  the  ancient  sculpture  and  the  antique  remains,  excavated 
from  the  ruins  of  Pompeii  and  Herculaneum. 

In  one  gallery  we  saw  the  famous  Hercules  of  Glycon,  found  at 
Rome  in  the  baths  of  Caracalla,  and  which  is  considered  one  of  the  finest 
statues  extant.  It  represents  Hercules  previous  to  his  deification. 
He  is  a  giant  of  a  fellow. 

In  much  of  the  ancient  sculpture  I  was  deeply  interested,  espe- 
ciall)'  in  several  of  the  busts  of  philosophers,  consuls,  and  emperors. 
The  female  figures  are  some  of  them  very  fine,  and  all  properly  cov- 
ered with  drapery.  Among  these  was  Agrippina,  the  mother  of  Nero, 
seated.  There  was  a  magnificent  porphyry  basin,  which  is  said  to  have 
been  used  as  a  lustral  vase  in  the  temple  dedicated  to  ^sculapius. 
In  one  hall  was  a  colossal  statue  of  Flora,  a  grand  production  of  the 
Grecian  chisel.  Atlas,  supporting  the  globe,  very  properly  bends 
beneath  the  burden.  I  felt  that  this  figure,  like  the  fable,  was  in  bad 
taste.  The  statue  of  Aristides,  found  in  Herculaneum,  struck  me  as 
a  masterpiece. 

In  one  hall  was  a  large  painting,  a  copy  of  a  celebrated  one  by 
Raphael,  at  Rome  —  the  Transfiguration.  Why  should  the  Saviour 
be  represented  as  elevated  above  the  earth  ?  Why  that  promiscuous, 
gazing  group  in  the  foreground?  The  perspective  in  this  copy  is  not 
good.  We  saw  a  copy  in  Paris  witli  the  same  faults,  yet  it  is  ad- 
mired.    Perhaps  the  original  will  strike  me  more  favorably. 

The  streets  of  Naples  are  full  of  people.  They  must  live  out  of 
doors  by  day;  and  who  can  blame  them  in  sucii  weatlier  as  this? 
About  every  tenth  person  appears  to  be  a  priest. 

February  13.  At  eight  and  a  half  this  morning  we  started  for 
Pompeii,  being  seven  in  all.  We  hired  two  caleclies,  one  with  three 
horses,  the  other  with  two,  for  which  we  paid  ten  piastres,  and  one 
piastre  to  tiie  coachman.  We  were  two  hours  and  three  quarters  in 
going  the  fourteen  or  fifteen  miles.  Passing  out  of  Naples  by  a 
dirty  street,  crowded  with    dirty  people,    engaged    in    dirty  work,  we 


JOURNAL.  155 

crossed  the  Scbcthus  by  the  Ponte  deUa  Maddalena,  between  Naplea 
and  Portici.  The  country  is  beautiful,  covered  with  l.ixuriant  gar- 
dens and  vinej'ards.  At  Portici  is  one  of  the  king's  palaces.  Next 
is  Torre  del  Greco,  which  was  destroyed  by  an  eruption  of  Vesuvius, 
June  15,  1794.  This  eruption  was  not  from  the  crater  on  the  summit, 
but  towards  the  middle  of  the  mountain,  on  the  western  side.  Torre  del 
Greco  was  five  horizontal  miles  from  this  new  volcano,  and  contained 
eighteen  hundred  inhabitants.  The  stream  of  lava,  which  took  this 
direction,  was  one  mile  in  width,  and  was  three  hours  in  reaching  the 
sea,  into  which  it  poured,  driving  back  the  water  for  one  third  of  a 
square  mile,  and  rising  above  it  some  twelve  or  fifteen  feet.  Every 
part  of  the  country  to  which  the  lava  ran  became  a  desert,  and  its 
appearance  now  is  awfully  desolate.  The  next  town  is  Torre  della 
Monziata.  Along  this  route  we  saw  many  villas,  with  groves  or  or- 
chards of  lemons  and  oranges,  yellow  with  fruit.  Arrived  at  Pompeii,  we 
engaged  a  cicerone  and  commenced  our  rambles.  I  had  been  consider- 
ably excited  in  anticipation,  but  as  I  entered  this  wonderful  place, 
which  has  lain  buried  since  A.  D.  79  under  the  ashes  and  cinders 
of  Vesuvius,  the  excitement  was  more  than  doubled.  My  poor  heart 
felt  the  bitter  effects,  and  began  to  palpitate  most  uncomfortably.  We 
went  first  into  the  Comic  Theatre,  then  the  Tragic  Theatre,  then,  cross- 
ing to  the  northern  side  of  the  city,  over  the  part  which  still  lies  buried, 
and  upon  which  are  luxuriant  vineyards  and  fields  of  esculent  vegeta- 
bles, we  came  to  the  Amphitheatre.  It  is  very  spacious,  and  is  capable 
of  seating  at  least  fifteen  thousand  persons.  Its  form  is  elliptical,  and 
it  has  thirty-tliree  rows  of  seats,  with  a  row  of  boxes,  for  ladies,  above 
the  whole.  Here  were  those  bloody  shows  of  which  the  ancients  were 
so  fond,  but  which,  thanks  to  the  humanizing  influence  of  Christianity, 
have  long  since  passed  into  disrepute.  In  this  place  the  people  of 
Pompeii  and  tlie  surrounding  country  were  assembled,  when  Vesuvius 
suddenly  poured  forth  those  volumes  of  ashes  and  pumice-stones  which 
covered  this  devoted  city,  and  hid  it  for  centuries  from  the  face  of  mor- 
tals. What  an  hour  was  that!  Bulwer,  in  his  Last  Days  of  Pompeii, 
has  very  graphically  described  it. 

We  then  proceeded  to  examine  other  wonders,  among  which  were 
the  public  baking-house,  the  house  of  Sallust,  a  chemist's  and  druggist's 
sh.op,  public  baths,  houses  with  large  and  small  fountains,  temples  of 
Fortune,  Isis,  Hercules,  Romulus,  ^sculapius,  and  Venus,  merchant 
shops,  banking-houses,  the  Pantheon,  the  Forum  Civile,  the  ancient 
aqiieducts,  and  the  Villa  of  Diomcd,  —  of  wliicii  Bulwer  has  made  so 
much  account,  — Forum  Nundinarium,  tribunal  of  justice,  &c.,  &c. 

In  several  places  we  saw  beautiful  mosaics,  shell-work,  &c.  One  of 
the  mosaics  represented  the  battle  of  tlie  Granicus. 


156  MEMOIR   OF    DE.    STOW. 

Only  about  one  third  of  the  city  lias  been  disinterred,  and  that  mostly 
by  the  French.  We  saw  a  few  men  excavating  and  sifting  the  earth; 
they  are  employed  by  the  government;  and  all  valuables  which  they  find 
are  removed  to  Naples,  and  placed  in  the  Museo  Borbonico  Reale.  We 
were  narrowly  watched,  especially  while  examining  the  better  class  of 
mosaics,  lest  we  should  pocket  something  belonging  to  his  majesty.  We 
had  no  disposition  to  steal,  but  we  would  gladly  have  purchased  a  few 
interesting  specimens. 

While  we  were  wandering  among  these  ruins,  and  laboring  hard  to 
understand  the  poor  Italian  and  poorer  French  of  our  cicerone,  a  man 
brought  us  two  bottles  of  the  wine  of  Pompeii,  called  "  Lachrymae 
Christi,"  for  which  we  gladly  paid  four  carlini,  both  because  we  were 
thirsty  and  because  we  wished  to  try  the  article  of  which  we  have  heard 
so  much.  It  is  light,  and  rather  palatable.  Before  our  cicerone  had 
finished  his  circuit  I  was  so  prostrated  as  to  be  compelled  to  desist,  and 
seat  myself  for  breath,  and  rest  upon  the  front  door-steps  of  Diomed's 
house.  Having  finished  three  hours  and  a  half  of  hurried  and  excited 
sight-seeing,  we  took  a  lunch  in  our  carriages,  and  started  for  home, 
driving  much  more  rapidly  than  in  the  morning. 

Naples,  14th  February,  Lord's  day.  Rose  after  a  night  of  suffering, 
anxious  to  devote  the  day  to  the  Lord  in  the  holiest  and  most  profitable 
manner.  Read  the  last  two  chapters  of  Mark  and  fifteenth  of  John.  Hear- 
ing there  would  be  Episcopal  worship  near  us,  we  went  to  the  place  at 
the  hour  appointed ;  but  finding  we  should  be  exorbitantly  taxed  for  a 
poor  seat,  we  turned  away,  and  resolved  to  worship  God  in  our  own 
apartments.  F'ound  some  comfort  in  bowing  at  the  foot  of  the  throne, 
and  acknowledging  the  mercy  of  God,  in  confessing  our  sins  and  in  im- 
ploring continued  fiivor.  Descend,  Holy  Spirit,  to-day,  not  only  upon 
us,  but  upon  the  dear  people  in  Baldwin  Place.  Clothe  the  gospel 
message  with  power,  and  refresh  the  hearts  of  tliy  chosen,  and  convert 
sinners  from  the  errors  of  their  ways. 

This  is  now  carnival  time,  and  to-day  tiiere  are  exhibitions  in  one  of 
the  principal  streets. 

February  IG.  Disappointed.  It  storms  furiously,  and  so  we  cannot, 
to-day,  ascend  Vesuvius  —  the  chimney-top  of  Italj-.  We  regret  to  lose 
so  much  time,  but  we  would  not  murmur.  God  has  some  kind  design 
in  thus  defeating  our  plans.  How  ought  we  to  rejoice  that  there  is  One 
above  us  who  is  infinite  in  knowledge,  wisdom,  goodness,  and  power! 
How  much  is  comprised  in  this  short  expression,  "  The  Lord  reigneth  "  ! 
May  I  never,  at  any  time,  or  in  any  place,  forget  it.  Read  this  morn- 
ing several  chapters  in  Job,  and  was  struck,  as  I  have  often  been  before, 
with  his  complaint  in  chapter  nine,  verses  thirty-two  and  thirty-three  — 
especially  the  latter. 


JOURNAL.  157 

The  time  wliich  our  travelling  party  proposed  to  give  to 
Naples  having  expired,  they  set  their  faces  towards  Rome 
We  regret  tliat  we  are  com])clled  to  give  so  brief  an  account 
of  tlieir  visit  to  the  Etern:il  City.  The  selections  we  have 
made  from  the  journal  of  Mr.  Stow  are  perhaps  no  more  in- 
teresting th:ni  those  which  we  have  omitted;  but  we  are 
forced  to  draw  the  line  somewhere,  and  have  endeavored  to 
lead  our  readers  to  some  of  the  places  which  may  be  regarded 
as  most  worthy  of  note. 

Eomc,  February  20.  Yesterday  morning  we  were  called  at  two.  I 
liad  slept  none,  and  felt  quite  overcome  by  tlie  excitement  and  fatigue 
of  tbe  two  preceding  days.  In  descending  to  take  our  scats  in  carriages 
which  had  been  engaged  to  convey  us  to  the  diligence  office,  we  found 
that  another  imposition  had  been  practised  upon  us.  The  carriages  were 
not  those  which  we  had  engaged,  and  for  which  we  had  agreed  to  pay  a 
pi.astre  each.  But  it  was  too  late  to  complain,  and  we  rolled  away  from 
the  "  Hotel  de  Geneve,  chez  J.  Mounier,"  without  a  tear  or  regret.  At 
three  we  set  off  in  the  "rotonde"  of  a  voiture  which  was  none  of  the 
best,  but  which  we  were  determined  to  like,  for  it  was  bearing  us  away 
from  a  land  of  despotism,  beggary,  and  perfidy.  We  were  not  sure  that 
we  should  find  anything  better  in  Rome;  but  we  could  conceive  nothing 
worse.     Naples  is  an  unclean  place,  physically  and  morally. 

At  the  gate  of  the  citj'  our  passports  were  demanded  and  vised.  The 
first  place  of  interest  was  Capua,  where  our  passports  were  again  called 
for  and  vised.  Here  we  saw  prisoners  chained  two  and  two,  and  sweep- 
ing the  streets.  The  chains  were  about  their  ankles  and  bodies.  This 
city  is  older  than  Rome  itself.  Here  Hannibal's  army  encamped,  and 
was  enervated  by  the  luxurious  habits  of  the  place. 

At  San  Germano  we  breakfasted  and  had  our  passports  vised.  This 
town  is  built  partly  at  the  foot  of  Monte  Casino  and  partly  on  the  accliv- 
ity. A  baronial  castle  of  the  middle  ages  overhangs  the  town,  and  the 
pinnacle  of  the  mountain  is  crowned  by  a  most  spacious  and  splendid 
Benedictine  convent.  A  little  beyond  the  town,  on  the  right,  are  the 
remains  of  an  ancient  Amphitheatre,  which  Mr.  B.  and  myself  visited. 
The  hotel  at  San  Germano  is  called  "  Grand  Albergo  del  Marco  Var- 
sone."  A  short  distance  from  our  route  (the  Via  Latina)  we  saw  the 
ancient  city  of  Aquinam,  the  birthplace  of  Juvenal. 

At  Arce  our  passports  were  again  vised,  as  also  at  Ceprano,.  the  fron- 
tier town  of  the  Ecclesiastical  States,  —  making  five  times  during  the 
day.     In  each  case  we  paid  a  little  buono  mano —  a  thing  which  every 


158  MEMOIK    OF    DK.    STOW. 

ItLilian  demands  when  he  has  done  anything  for  one,  even  though  paid 
a  stipuLited  price. 

On  our  arrival  at  Ceprano,  we  were  driven  into  the  custom-house, 
and  the  doors  were  closed  and  guarded  by  a  soldier.  Our  luggage  was 
then  taken  off  and  examined  by  a  very  quiet,  civil  young  man.  He 
made  an  apology  for  the  trouble  he  occasioned  us,  but  said  he  must  do 
it  ^^ pour  formalite."  We  then  went  to  the  Hotel  de  I'Europe  —  a 
favorite  name  for  inns  on  the  Continent,  —  and  found  a  good  supper  and 
a  tolerable  bed. 

From  nine  till  two  we  slept  well,  wlien  we  were  again  called  —  a 
Roma;   and  we  rose,  partly  refreshed. 

Tlie  road  yesterday  was  remarkably  fine,  and  led  througli  a  most 
beautiful  country :  what  a  pity  that  such  a  country  had  not  an  intelli- 
gent, industrious,  enterprising  population!  Let  New  Englanders  have 
this  soil,  and  tliey  would  soon  make  much  of  it.  Our  route  lay  between 
the  ridges  of  the  Apennines,  and  was  exceedingly  level.  To-day  it  has 
been  more  hilly.  Near  Frosinone  the  ascent  is  very  steep,  and  though 
we  had  eight  liorses  we  were  obliged  to  prefix  a  j'okc  of  oxen. 

At  half  past  eleven  we  set  our  faces  once  more  towards  Rome.  At 
two  o'clock  we  saw,  across  the  Campagna,  the  towering  dome  of  St. 
Peter's,  and  at  a  little  past  four  we  entered  the  Porta  Maggiore.  In 
half  an  hour  more  we  were  in  the  custom-house,  surrounded  by  sol- 
diers, and  our  luggage  was  subjected  to  another  examination.  Having 
paid  the  conductor  and  some  lialf  a  dozen  others  their  "  buono  inano" 
we  started  for  our  hotel.  We  had  scarce  entered  the  street,  when  we 
were  met  by  the  carnival  procession  —  a  nonsensical,  farcical  rabble  —  in 
carriages  and  on  foot;  and  we  had  no  small  difficulty  in  picking  our 
way.  At  length,  between  five  and  six,  we  reached  the  Hotel  de  Russie, 
near  the  Piazza  del  Popolo,  and  engaged  apartments  for  a  week. 

Here  we  are  in  Rome,  —  the  Eternal  City,  —  once  the  mistress  of 
the  world.  What  has  she  been !  What  has  she  done !  What  people 
have  lived  here  !  What  scenes  have  been  enacted !  How  full  of  inter- 
est are  the  associations  suggested  by  tiie  history  of  this  spot!  Let  me 
survey  the  ground  and  gain  instruction. 

February  21,  liOrd's  day.  First  Sabbath  in  Rome.  What  did  Faul 
do  the  first  Sabbath  he  spent  here?  Mrs.  G.  and  myself  went  to  the 
place  of  English  worsliip,  and  heard  the  Episcopal  service,  and  a  clever 
discourse  well  read.  The  preacher's  text  was  Haggai  i.  2-6.  His  prin- 
cipal topic  was,  "  self-examination  as  a  means  of  grace."  I  should  tliink 
the  assembly  amounted  in  number  to  five  Imndred.  It  was  interesting 
to  attend  so  good  a  service  in  sucli  a  place.  Protestant  worsliip  in 
Rome!  O,  how  important  that  the  true  light  should  be  held  up  in  this 
dark  place  I     I  could  not  help  thinking  of  Paul.     Where  was  "  his  own 


JOURNAL.  159 

hired  house,"  in  wliicli  lie  preaclicd,  a  prisoner?  How  did  he  preach ? 
Acts  xxviii.  17-31. 

February  22.  Called  on  Mr.  Green,  tiie  Anic'rican  consul,  who  re- 
sides at  the  Four  Fountains  on  the  Quiriiial,  and  on  Tortonia  &  Co., 
Piazza  di  Venizia.  Afterwards  hired  a  window  in  one  of  the  churches 
at  the  head  of  the  Corso  to  witness  the  show  of  the  carnival.  To  us  it 
seemed  a  very  silly  affair.  Many  of  the  people,  mostly  young,  were 
arrayed  in  fantastic  costumes,  with  hideous  masks,  and  "  cut  up  "  all 
kinds  of  "  antics  "  and  "  capers."  Thousands  were  in  carriages,  and 
tens  of  thousands  on  foot.  Flowers,  sugar-plums,  and  oranges  were 
thrown  in  profusion.  At  five  o'clock  a  gun  was  fired,  and  the  centre  of 
the  Corso  was  cleared.  Twelve  horses,  one  for  each  apostle  (?),  were 
then  brought  out,  arrayed  somewhat  like  the  people,  and  let  loose.  Oft' 
they  started  down  the  Corso.  The  one  which  arrived  first  at  the  foot  of 
the  Corso  drew  a  prize.  This  is  the  seventh  day  of  the  carnival.  To- 
morrow is  the  last  and  greatest.  What  is  the  origin  of  this  fete?  How 
long  has  it  been  celebrated?  What  does  it  mean?  It  is  certainly  con- 
ducted with  great  spirit,  and  without  disorder.  Tens  of  thousands 
passed  before  us,  and  acted  foolishly  enough ;  but  we  saw  not  one  per- 
son intoxicated  or  angry,  or  guilty  of  any  breach  of  decency  or  deco- 
rum. 

February  23.  The  grand  farce  is  over.  There  has  been  to-day  a 
repetition  of  the  scenes  of  yesterday,  with  an  additional  one  more  silly 
than  all.  After  the  horses  had  finished  their  race,  the  people  in  the  car- 
riages lighted  their  candles,  and  the  sport  consisted  in  eff'orts  to  keep 
them  from  being  extinguished  by  those  on  foot.  When  the  last  candle 
was  put  out,  then  all  retired  from  tlie  field.  To-morrow  is  Ash- Wednes- 
day, the  beginning  of  Lent.  A  fine  preparation  this  for  forty  days  of 
self-examination  and  self-mortification ! 

February  24.  At  nine  this  morning  we  were  on  our  way  to  St.  Peter's 
to  witness  tlie  ceremonies  of  Ash- Wednesday.  The  services  were  in 
the  Capella  Sistina,  where  we  had  an  opportunity  to  see  the  pope  in 
function.  He  and  his  cardinals  were  gorgeously  arrayed,  and  made 
quite  a  show.  The  services  lasted  about  two  hours,  including  music, 
prayers,  bowing,  genuflexion,  crossing  the  heads  of  the  cardinals  with 
ashes,  kissing  the  pope's  toe  and  the  hem  of  his  robe,  with  a  harangue 
in  Latin  by  one  of  the  ecclesiastics,  which  lasted  about  twelve  minutes, 
and  reminded  me  of  the  salutatory  oration  at  a  college  commencement. 
The  whole  aff'air  struck  me  very  unfavorably.  Can  it  be  that  the  pope 
and  his  cardinals,  all  of  whom  appear  to  be  men  of  years  and  intellect, 
consider  this  as  Christian  worship?  What  does  it  comprise  that  re- 
sembles either  the  spirit  or  the  practice  of  New  Testament  Christianity? 
The  pope  has  a  large  military  establishment.     What  a  combiuation, 


160  MEMOIR    OF    DK.    STOW. 

the  churcli  and  the  military!  Jesus  said,  "  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this 
world."  The  kingdom  of  tlie  pope,  then,  is  not  the  kingdom  of  Jesus. 
His  soldiers  are  to  be  seen  at  all  points  throughout  his  dominions. 
They  were  employed  in  large  numbers  to-day  at  all  the  doors  and  ave- 
nues leading  to  the  Sistine  Chapel. 

February  25.  At  nine  this  morning  we  took  a  carriage  and  a  valet- 
de-place  for  the  day,  and  set  off  with  the  intention  of  seeing  as  much 
as  possible.  We  commenced  at  the  Capitoline  Hill.  The  modern  Cap- 
itol contains  galleries  of  works  of  art,  some  of  which  are  interesting. 

On  the  site  of  the  Temple  of  Jupiter  Capitolinus  stands  the  church  of 
the  Ara  Coeli,  to  which  we  ascended  on  the  south  side  by  steps  that  led 
to  the  ancient  temple.  Passing' through  the  church,  we  heard  persons 
at  prayer  behind  the  screen  that  concealed  the  high  altar,  who  lifted  up 
their  voices  as  if  they  intended  to  be  heard.  Passing  near  a  side  altar, 
I  took  up  a  card  which  contained  a  prayer  to  the  "  Blessed  Virgin,'* 
commencing,  "  O,  Maria,  dolce  Rifugio  de  miseri  peccatori,"  &c.  Such 
prayers  are  offered  by  persons  professing  to  know  the  true  Refuge  ! 
Alas  !  Alas  !  Having  passed  through  the  church,  we  came  to  the  long 
flight  of  ancient  steps  which  led  to  the  front  of  the  temple,  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-four  in  number. 

In  the  rear  of  the  Palace  of  the  Conservatore  we  saw  the  famous 
Tarpeian  Rock,  from  which  those  declared  guilty  of  treason  to  their 
country  were  hurled  headlong.  It  was  once  very  high,  but  the  earth  is 
now  filled  up  at  the  base  more  than  forty  feet  above  its  ancient  level. 
From  tliis  rock  Manlius  was  precipitated,  and  found  an  inglorious  death. 

We  then  descended  into  the  Roman  Forum,  and  endeavored,  though 
with  poor  success,  to  trace  the  localities  of  the  memorable  spot.  The 
rubbish  of  successive  centuries  has  not  been  wholly  removed,  and  the 
appearance  of  the  place  is  very  uninviting.  There  are  the  foundations 
of  the  several  edifices,  and  we  fixed  upon  the  probable  location  of  the 
ancient  rostra  whence  the  orators  harangued  the  people.  There  are 
standing  three  pillars  of  the  Temple  of  Jupiter  Tonans,  and  eight  of 
the  Temple  of  Fortune.  There  are  some  remains  of  the  Temple  of 
Concord.  The  Arch  of  Septimius  Severus  and  the  Column  of  Phocas 
are  in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  Three  columns  of  the  Temple  of 
Jupiter  Stator  are  standing. 

We  descended  into  tlie  Mamertine  prison,  where  many  distinguished 
personages  found  their  death  —  Jugurtha  by  starvation,  Lentulus  Ce- 
thegus,  Statilius,  and  others  by  strangulation.  Here,  it  is  said,  Peter 
and  Paul  were  imprisoned ;  and  we  were  shown  an  indentation  in  the 
wall  apparently  produced  by  a  man's  head.  Our  guide  said  that  a  sol- 
dier struck  St.  Peter  a  hard  box  on  the  side  of  his  head  that  drove  him 
against  the  rock  with  such  violence  as  to  make  this  impression !     Peter 


JOURNAL.  161 

must  have  had  a  very  hard  head,  or  this  tufa  rock  would  never  have 
yielded  in  this  manner.  It  was  in  the  lower  TulUan  prison  that  these 
apostles  were  confined,  and  there  stands  the  pillar  to  which  they  are 
said  to  have  been  chained.  The  chain  is  preserved  in  St.  Peter's ! 
At  the  bottom  is  a  spring  of  water  said  to  have  been  used  at  the  bap- 
tism of  Processus  and  Martinian,  the  keepers  of  the  prison.  Over  tliis 
prison  is  the  Clmrch  of  St.  Gieuseppe. 

Passing  the  Temples  of  Vesta,  of  Antonius  and  Faustina,  of  Ronm- 
lus  and  Remus,  the  Temple  of  Peace,  or  Basilica  of  Constantine,  tiie 
Arch  of  Constantino,  the  Arcli  of  Titus,  the  Temjile  of  Venus  and  Rome, 
the  Meta  Sudans,  and  the  pedestal  of  the  Colossus  of  Nero,  we  came 
to  the  Colosseum,  the  proud  relic  of  antiquity,  the  admiration  of  the 
world.  Description  of  it  is  out  of  the  question.  Its  dimensions  and 
proportions  are  magnificent:  circumference,  one  thousand  six  hundred 
and  sixty-one  feet;  height,  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  feet;  length, 
two  hundred  and  eighty-five  feet;  breadth,  one  hundred  and  eiglity-two 
feet.  Vasi  says  it  had  room  on  the  seats  for  eighty-seven  thousand 
persons,  and  on  tiie  terrace  for  twenty  thousand.  There  the  beasts  and 
the  gladiators  fought.  There  the  people  delighted  themselves  with 
scenes  of  suffering  and  blood.  Tiiere,  too,  the  meek  and  humble  fol- 
lowers of  Jesus  were  torn  to  pieces  by  tigers,  lions,  and  leopards,  while 
the  people  looked  on  and  rejoiced  in  their  agony.  (Did  it  take  its 
name  from  its  immense  size,  or  from  the  neigliboring  bronze  colossal 
statue  of  Nero  —  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet?)  Thence  we  went  to 
the  Basilic  of  St.  Jolm  Lateran,  the  principal  temple  of  Rome,  and  per- 
haps of  the  Catholic  world.  We  pas-^ed  through  the  Baptistery  of  Con- 
stantine, very  inferior  to  the  one  at  Pisa.  In  the  church  they  pretend 
to  show  the  table  on  which  Christ  instituted  the  Supper,  as  also  in  silver 
reliquaries  the  heads  of  the  apostles  Paul  and  Peter.  We  had  not  the 
curiosity  to  allow  the  priest  to  show  us  these  relics.  At  St.  Peters 
they  will  offer  to  show  us  where  the  bodies  of  these  apostles  repose ! 

In  the  rear  of  the  Lateran  palace  we  entered  a  portico  erected  by 
Sixtus  v.,  under  which  he  placed  the  staircase  "  which,"  it  is  said, 
"  existed  in  the  palace  of  Pilate  at  Jerusalem,  up  which  our  Savicmr 
passed  several  times.  Having  been  thus  sanctified,  the  faitliful  now 
ascend  it  on  their  knees,  and  descend  it  by  the  four  lateral  staircases." 
It  consists  of  twenty-eight  marble  steps,  so  consumed  by  friction  that 
it  became  necessary  to  cover  them  with  wood.  They  are  now  called 
"  Scala  Santa."  We  then  repaired  to  St.  Peter's,  and  took  a  general 
view  of  the  galleries  of  the  Vatican.  I  can  now  say  no  more  than 
merely  that  everything  is  splendid,  altogether  surpassing  my  concep- 
tion. Our  cicerone  to-day  pointed  out  the  Tower  of  Nero,  from  which 
the  tyrant  looked  out  upon  Rome  burning  by  iiis  orders.  He  said  that 
11 


162  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

women  who  had  bad  husbands  ascend  on  their  knees  the  high  steps 
leading  to  the  Temple  of  Jupiter  Capitolinus  •'  praying  that  the  great 
one  would  change  their  heads  and  make  them  better." 

We  to-day  visited  the  Golden  House  of  Nero,  and  the  Thermae  of 
Titus.  The  Forum  Romanum  and  parts  adjacent  have  been  used  as  a 
cattle  market;  hence  it  is  known  among  modern  Romans  by  the  very 
unclassic  name  of  "  Campo  Vaccino."  When  at  the  Basilic  of  St.  John 
Liiteran,  we  saw  the  remains  of  the  aqueduct  of  Nero.  The  aqueduct 
of  Claudius  we  saw  as  we  entered  the  city,  on  the  20th,  by  the  Porta 
Maggiore. 

Februarj'  26.  Went  out  this  morning  alone,  and  walked  round  the 
Piazza  del  Popolo,  and  examined  the  various  objects  —  the  fountains, 
the  statuary,  the  Porta  del  Popolo,  the  obelisk,  and  the  church  Gesu  e 
Maria,  where  a  priest  was  officiating  —  reading  prayers  with  most  irrev- 
erent rapidity  and  lightness  of  manner. 

S.  Carlo,  one  of  the  most  magnificent  churches  in  the  city,  is  divided 
into  three  naves  by  pilasters  of  the  Corinthian  order.  Over  the  prin- 
cipal entrance  are  the  words,  "Domine,  dilexi  decus  domus  tuae;"  over 
each  of  the  six  arcades  of  the  central  nave,  and  below  the  transept,  is 
an  inscription  which  I  copied. 

Over  a  fine  picture  of  the  Virgin,  in  a  side  chapel,  are  the  words,  "  Tu 
sola  universas  haerises  interemisti." 

Next  I  went  to  the  Piazza  Colonna,  which  occupies  part  of  the  forum 
of  Antoninus  Pius,  and  where  is  a  column  raised  by  the  senate  to  Mar- 
cus Aurelius,  in  commemoration  of  his  victories  in  Germany.  In  front 
of  the  column  is  the  general  post  office,  and  in  the  adjoining  Piazza  of 
Munte  Citoria,  which  occupies  the  site  of  the  ancient  tlieatre  of  Statil- 
ius  Taurus,  is  another  obelisk,  evidently  Egj^ptian.  In  the  immediate 
neighborhood  are  the  remains  of  the  Temple  of  Antoninus. 

I  passed  the  church  S.  Maria  in  Via  Lata,  said  to  be  "  built  on  the  spot 
occupied  by  the  centurion  with  wliom  St.  Paul  resided  when  sent  to 
Rome  by  Festus."  I  thought  that  Paul  "  dwelt  by  himself  in  his  own 
hired  house."  Acts  xxviii.  30.  They  show  a  fountain  which  they  pre- 
tend sprang  up  to  enable  the  apostle  to  baptize  those  wlio  were  con- 
verted under  his  ministry !  I  passed  also  the  church  of  St.  Silvestro 
in  Capite,  where  they  pretend  to  have  the  head  of  John  the  Baptist. 
These  two  churches  I  did  not  enter. 

February  27.  At  half  past  ten,  with  our  carriage  and  cicerone,  we 
sallied  out  sight-seeing.  Our  first  object  was  the  Baths  of  Caracalla. 
These  ruins  are  immense  in  extent.  The  form  of  the  edifice  was 
square,  measuring  ten  hundred  and  fifty  feet  on  each  side.  We  passed 
over  portions  of  the  ancient  roads  Via  Appia  and  Via  Latina,  and 
visited  the  Temple  of  Vesta,  the  Arch  of  Janus  Quadrifrons,  the  Porta 


JOURNAL.  163 

Latina  (now  closed  up),  the  ancient  city  walls,  with  rooms  for  the  Pre* 
torian  Guards,  the  ancient  fish  market,  and  the  Circus  Maximus,  now  a 
vegetable  garden. 

The  family  tomb  of  Augustus,  recently  discovered,  is  deep  —  perhaps 
twenty-five  feet  —  and  square.  Wo  descended  by  tiie  antique  steps, 
and  viewed  the  scenes  below.  In  the  wall  are  nine  rows  of  niches,  one 
above  another.  Each  niche  contains  two  urns,  filled  with  ashes  and 
calcined  human  bones.  Over  each  niche  is  a  small  marble  slab,  on 
which  are  engraved  the  names  of  tiie  persons  whose  ashes  there  repose. 
It  was  a  solemn  sight.  We  were  looking  upon  the  remains  of  persons 
who  lived  and  died  before  the  Christian  era ! 

We  descended  also  into  the  Columbarium  of  Augustus,  where  in  urns 
are  deposited  tiie  ashes  of  the  slaves  and  freedmen  of  Augustus.  We 
descended  likewise  into  the  tombs  of  the  Scipios,  where  sleep  the  ashes 
of  great  men,  who,  in  their  time,  astonished  the  world  by  their  valor. 

In  the  cliurch  of  S.  Stefano  Rotondo.  formerly  the  Temple  of  Claudius, 
we  were  horrified  by  paintings  representing  the  modes  by  which  the 
early  Christians  were  tortured.  The  question  came  home  with  power, 
Have  we  piety  that  would  endure  such  trials?  Both  there  and  at  an- 
other church  they  pretend  to  have  the  body  of  Stephen. 

We  next  went  to  the  Palatine  Ilill,  and  wandered  among  the  ruins  of 
the  Palace  of  the  Ca3sars.  Almond  trees  were  in  bloom  there,  and  a 
gardener  was  hoeing  cauliflowers  and  artichokes.  From  the  roof  of  the 
library  we  had  a  fine  view  of  the  six  otiier  hills  of  Rome  —  the  Aventine 
on  the  west,  the  Coelian  on  the  south,  Esquiline  on  the  north  and  north- 
west. The  Palatine  once  held  all  Rome.  Afterwards  it  was  not  large 
enough  for  Rome's  tyrant,  Nero. 

Returned  to  our  new  lodgings,  and  then  went  out  to  the  Villa  Bor- 
ghese,  perhaps  the  most  splendid  in  Italy.  The  gallery  contains  a  choice 
collection  of  frescoes  and  sculpture.  The  grounds  are  finely  laid  out, 
interspersed  with  serpentine,  sliady  walks,  fountains,  Grecian  temples, 
Egyptian  obelisks,  statuary,  parks,  gardens,  &c.,  including  also  a  church 
and  a  cafe. 

The  Borghese  family  have  a  palace  within  tlie  walls  of  the  city,  dis- 
tinguislied  for  its  richness  and  splendor.  Rome  abounds  in  palaces  as 
well  as  churches,  both  of  which  are  interesting  to  strangers  on  account 
of  tlieir  rich  collections  of  works  of  art.  Vasi,  in  his  New  Guide  to 
Rome,  recommends  eighty-eight  churches  as  worthy  of  being  visited, 
as  also  thirty-one  palaces,  fifteen  gates,  nine  villas,  fifteen  galleries,  and 
nine  bridges. 

Evening,  Took  a  walk  by  moonlight,  and  in  the  clear  blue  sky,  and 
the  brilliant  moon,  and  the  starry  constellations,  saw  God,  and  experi- 
enced, in  communion  with  him,  something  of  the  blessedness  promised 


164  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

to  such  as  have  fellowship  with  tlie  Father.  It  was  jjooil  to  turn  awav 
from  man  and  all  his  works,  and  contemplate  perfect  Intelligence.  It 
was  good  to  hold  converse  with  the  Great,  the  Pure,  the  Good.  O,  how 
small  did  all  around  me  appear,  how  insignificant,  how  shadowy  and 
worthless  !  For  a  little  while  I  felt  swallowed  up  in  God.  A  perpetu- 
ity of  this  feeling  would  be  heaven.  Lord,  grant  me  this  heaven, 
through  Jesus  Christ,  thine  own  dear  Son.     Amen ! 

February  28.  At  daylight  the  bell  of  Monte  Santo,  a  church  very 
near  us,  commenced  ringing,  whose  tone  at  once  reminded  us  of  the 
bell  on  the  Middle  Street  Baptist  Church,  in  Portsmouth.  Thence  fol- 
lowed a  long  train  of  associations,  some  pleasing,  some  painful.  And 
the  tears  involuntarily  started. 

The  history  of  the  five  years  passed  in  Portsmouth  is  deeply  engraven 
on  my  memory,  and  will  never,  never  be  effaced.  They  were  to  me 
important  years,  and  the  effect  of  the  discipline  which  I  there  had  is 
daily  apparent. 

At  a  quarter  before  eleven  went  to  the  place  of  Protestant  worship, 
which  was  well  filled  with  orderly  people.  The  service  was  well  read, 
but  I  should  have  enjoyed  it  more  had  it  been  less  prolix.  Not  less  than 
five  times  was  the  Lord's  Prayer  repeated.  There  was  no  music,  and 
yet  the  service  previous  to  the  sermon  occupied  one  hour  and  a  half. 
The  Scriptures  read  were  Gen.  xix.,  Ps.  cxxxii.-cxxxiv.,  Luke  xii.,  1  Cor. 
vi.,  and  Matt.  iv.  The  sermon,  founded  on  Lam.  iii.  40,  was  a  contin- 
uation of  the  subject  of  last  Sabbath  —  self-examination.  The  preacher 
treated  it  with  special  reference  to  repentance,  which  he  very  properly 
defined  to  be  "  that  godly  mourning  for  sin  which  leads  to  godly  refor- 
mation of  life."  In  some  parts  of  his  discourse  he  was  very  plain  and 
pointed,  but  in  others  he  softened  down  the  severity  of  truth  in  a  way 
to  injure  the  effect.  At  times  I  felt  the  power  of  his  searching  interro- 
gations, and  lifted  my  heart  to  God  in  prayer  that  the  scrutiny  might  do 
me  good;  and  I  could  not  be  otherwise  than  grieved  when  he  began  to 
explain  and  to  apologize,  as  if  he  was  afraid  lest  I  should  examine  a  lit- 
tle too  deeply,  or  repent  more  than  I  ought.  As  I  retired  I  felt  that 
every  one  might  say.  "  Well,  we  had  a  very  good,  faithful  discourse, 
but  it  was  not  intended  iox  me ;  the  preacher  made  me  an  exception." 
That  is  preaching  which  God  will  hardly  bless.  O,  why  cannot  those 
who  profess  to  be  "  the  messengers  of  trutli,  the  legates  of  the  skies," 
be  willing,  like  their  Master,  to  make  themselves  "of  no  reputation," 
and  declare  the  whole  truth,  regardless  of  man's  smile  or  frown,  approv- 
al or  censure.  In  my  soul  I  honor  the  man  who  can  say,  with  truth, 
"  /  liave  not  shunned  to  declare  unto  yon  all  the  counsel  of  God."  Lord, 
give  me  grace  ever  to  be  faithful  to  the  souls  of  men. 

It  is  now  Lent,  during  which  the  people  in  Europe,  and   some  in 


JOURNAL.  165 

America,  profess  to  humble  themselves  before  God,  and  to  pray  that  by 
practising  abstinence  they  may  so  subdue  the  flesh  to  the  spirit,  that 
they  may  be  able  to  attend  to  the  godly  motions  produced  within  them 
by  the  Holy  Ghost.  Mrs.  Stow  inquired  of  me  to-day  if  I  did  not 
think  the  influence  of  Lent  was  salutary  in  checking  the  people  and  re- 
quiring them  to  give  time  to  self-examination  and  devotion.  Unques- 
tionably some  good  may  result  from  the  practice  of  observing  forty 
successive  days  in  this  manner.  But  it  should  be  remembered  that  this 
service  is  not  required  by  Christ  or  his  apostles.  It  savors  more  of  the 
old  than  of  the  new  dispensation.  If  observed  as  required,  it  is  bur- 
densome. If  otherwise,  it  is  mockery  and  hypocrisy.  Besides,  it  is  a 
temptation  to  the  people  to  confine  their  self-examination,  and  mortifi- 
cation, and  repentance  to  this  period,  and  live  loosely  the  rest  of  the 
year. 

One  grand  objectionable  feature  in  the  whole  Papal  system  is,  the 
making  of  religion  to  consist  in  the  observance  of  certain  days  and 
seasons,  while  to  other  days  and  seasons  extraordinary  indulgence  is 
allowed.  The  Church  of  England  has  too  much  of  this  radical  fault. 
O,  when  will  the  nominally  Christian  world  embrace  the  simple  gospel, 
and  regulate  their  whole  conduct  b}'  its  simple  precepts?  A  great 
change  is  to  be  wrought  before  the  millennium  can  commence. 

March  3.  We  went  this  morning  to  the  Wednesday  market,  in  the 
Piazza  Navona.  There  were  all  sorts  of  folks  with  all  sorts  of  things 
for  sale,  and  there  were  all  sorts  of  noises  by  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, dogs,  horses,  and  donkeys.  It  was  a  grotesque  but  interesting 
spectacle. 

At  one  o'clock  we  sallied  forth  b}'  the  ancient  Porta  Capena,  af- 
terwards Porta  Appia.  The  first  object  in  our  route  was  the  Church 
of  St.  Sebastian,  through  which  we  descended  into  the  Catacombs, 
which  are  very  extensive,  in  the  form  of  corridors  or  galleries.  The 
excavations  were  first  made  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  the  sand, 
now  called  pozzolana,  or  Roman  cement.  In  the  times  of  the  per- 
secutions they  were  enlarged  by  the  Christians,  who  here  concealed 
themselves,  maintained  religious  worship,  and  buried  their  dead. 
Many  of  the  bones  are  now  sacred  relics. 

lleturning  through  the  Appian  Gate,  we  went  to  the  Church  of  St. 
Pietro  in  Vincoli,  where  they  pretend  to  have  the  chain  with  wliich  the 
apostle  Peter  was  bound  when  imprisoned  by  Herod  at  Jerusalem  !  The 
statue  of  Moses,  from  a  design  by  Michael  Angelo,  is  a  masterpiece  of 
modern  sculpture.  It  is  of  colossal  size,  and  is  full  of  soul.  In  the  trib- 
une is  a  consular  chair  taken  from  the  Therms  of  Titus. 

March  4.  The  great  roads  of  ancient  Rome  ran  from  the  golden  pil- 
lar in  the  Forum  to  the  gates,  and  thence  to  the  extremities  of  the  em- 


166  MEMOIR   OF    DR.    STOW. 

pire.  The  Via  Appia  extends  to  Bruntlusium,  the  port  whence  the 
Eomans  embarked  for  Greece.  At  Pompeii  we  saw  portions  of  this 
Way  with  tiie  cuts  of  the  carriage-wheels  in  the  stone  pavement.  The 
wheels  of  their  carriages  must  have  been  a  little  less  than  four  feet 
apart.     Rogers,  in  his  Italy,  speaking  of  the  Forum,  says,  — 

"  Tt  was  once 
And  long  the  centre  of  this  universe, 
The  Forum ;  whence  a  mandate,  eagle-winged, 
Went  to  the  ends  of  the  earth." 

Along  the  Appian  Way,  leading  to  Cecelia,  Metilla,  &c.,  we  saw  half 
dilapidated  pyramids,  which  were  probably  sepulchral  monuments.  O, 
what  millions  have  mingled  with  the  dust  we  tread  ! 

"  The  Appian,  once  an  avenue 
Of  monuments  most  glorious,  palaces, 
Their  doors  sealed  up,  and  silent  as  the  night. 
The  dwellings  of  the  illustrious  dead." 

March  6.  At  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  rode  to  the  Colosseum,  to 
see  it  by  moonlight.  Disappointed  to  find  some  fifty  people  there,  all 
for  the  same  purpose.  I  wished  to  enjoy  the  scene  alone,  but  could 
hardly  distinguisii  my  own  thoughts  amidst  the  universal  chattering  of 
Italians,  French,  and  English,  and  I  know  not  what  other  languages. 
Yet  the  view  fully  answered  my  expectations.  Every  time  I  have  seen 
the  immense  pile  it  has  appeared  grander  than  before.  To-night  it  has 
been  seen  in  a  new  light  —  shaded,  sombre,  and  impressive.  As  the 
moon  poured  her  silver  beams  among  the  broken  arches  and  dilapidated 
corridors,  my  mind  ran  back  through  the  hundreds  of  years  since  this 
pile  was  reared,  and  I  thouglit  of  tlie  thousands,  perliaps  millions,  who 
had  there  assembled  to  be  entertained,  all  of  wliom  have  long  since  gone  to 
their  account.  O,  what  changes  have  these  walls  witnessed  in  the  world 
around  them !  What  scenes  have  been  enacted  within  them !  How 
many  of  my  dear  brethren  and  sisters  in  Christ  Jesus  have  there  been 
tortured  and  torn  to  pieces  to  gratify  the  worse  than  brutal  passions  of 
a  blood-loving  people  !  While  musing  thus,  the  bell  of  St.  .Tohn  Later- 
an  struck  nine,  sending  its  heavy  echoes  among  these  ruins,  and  re- 
minding me  that  my  time  is  also  running  away,  and  soon  will  leave  me 
and  my  works  remotely  in  the  past. 

March  8.  Walked  with  Mrs.  Stow  to  the  Fornm  Romanum  and  Col- 
osseum. About  that  region  my  mind  loves  to  linger.  There  are  gran- 
deur and  solemnity  in  the  associations. 

We  are  now  to  bid  adieu  to  Rome.  The  twenty-two  days  spent  here 
have  been  days  of  intense  and  exciting  interest,  but  never  to  be  re- 
peated. 


DEPARTURE    FROM    ITALY.  167 

Tlie  ]).ivty  left  Rome  on  the  15lh  of  M:vrch,  and  proceeding 
north,  reached  Florence  on  the  22d.  Under  date  of  March  24, 
ho  speaks  of  calling  on  Governor  Everett,  who  soon  after 
returned  the  call,  and  spent  an  hour  in  pleasant  chat  with 
his  fellow-countrymen.  "  He  forcibly  reminded  us  of  home." 
The  chief  places  of  attraction  in  Florence  were  visited.  We 
should,  did  our  limits  allow,  love  to  wander  with  our  friends 
amid  these  interesting  scenes.  Several  days  were  given  to 
Florence  and  Turin.  In  the  latter  place  Mr.  Stow  writes  in 
his  journal  that  more  than  five  months  have  passed  away 
since  he  had  preached  or  offered  a  public  prayer,  and  he 
longs  to  be  again  in  the  pulpit.  In  leaving  Italy,  after  a  two 
months'  residence  in  that  beautiful  land,  he  says,  "I  have  seen 
much,  thought  much,  and  felt  much,  and  though  I  have  been 
deeply  interested,  yet  I  have  not  one  regret  in  turning  my 
back  upon  the  country  and  all  it  contains.  America,  Amer- 
ica! my  native  land,  the  sphere  of  my  labors  —  my  home. 
Lord,  speed  my  way  to  her  loved  shores,  and  let  me  soon 
resume  my  work  in  connection  with  thy  redeemed  people." 


168  MEMOIR    OF   DR.    STOW. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

Cbossing  Mont  Cenis.  —  Geneva.  —  London.  —  Visit  to  Barley 
Wood.  —  Embarkation  for  Boston.  —  Home  again.  —  Called 
AGAIN  to  the  Presidency  of  Waterville  College.  —  Elected 
Secretary  of  the  Triennial  Convention.  —  Revival  of  1842.  — 
Its  Results.  —  Physical  Prostration. 

1841-1844. 

We  have  followed  Mr.  Stow  and  his  friends,  as  they  have 
visited  the  principal  cities,  and  travelled  over  a  portion  of 
sunny  Italy.  No  one  can  read  his  journal  and  not  feel  that 
there  was  an  unwonted  elasticity  to  his  spirits,  and  that  he 
entered  most  heartily  into  the  enjoyment  of  the  scenes  in 
which  he  found  himself.  He  was  now  to  pass  from  Italy  to 
France.  He  took  one  of  the  most  frequented  routes  of  travel, 
crossing  the  famous  Pass  of  Mont  Cenis.  He  has  given  us 
a  charming  descrij^tion  of  the  passage,  which  was  prepared 
by  his  own  pen,  for  the  columns  of  one  of  our  denom- 
inational papers,  after  his  return,  which  will  be  read  with 
peculiar  j)leasure,  since  it  is  hardly  probable  that  a  similar 
sketch  will  be  Avritten  again,  as  Mont  Cenis  has  been  tun- 
nelled, and  the  travel  hereafter  will  be  through  the  mountain, 
and  not  over  it.     The  sketch  bears  the  title 

CROSSING    MONT    CENIS. 

We  left  Rome,  four  of  us,  with  the  addition  of  a  courier,  in  a  hired 
carriage,  and  travelled  leisurely  northward,  visiting  the  most  interesting 
places  along  our  chosen  route,  as  Sienna,  Florence,  Bologna,  Modena, 
Parma,  and  Milan.  Our  journey  up  the  valley  of  the  Po  was  every 
way  interesting.  On  our  left  was  tlie  range  of  the  Apennines.  On  our 
right  were  the  Alps,  rising  in   niiijestic  peaks,  encased  in  snow,  and 


CROSSING   MONT    CENIS.  169 

glittering  in  tlie  uunlight  like  burnished  silver.  I  have  seen  them  on  the 
northern  side  all  the  way  from  Munich  to  Lyons,  and  thence  down  the 
western  side  to  Nice ;  but  the  most  picturesque  view  is  from  the  plains 
of  Venetia  and  Lombardy,  where  their  continuity  is  less  broken,  and  the 
eye  can  survey  them  in  their  extension  stretching  along  hundreds  of 
miles,  like  an  impassable  barrier  reared  by  Omnipotence.  It  must  have 
been  of  this  southern  aspect  that  Ileinrich  Stilling  wrote,  "  When  one 
looks  at  the  whole  Alpine  range,  as  it  lies  along  the  horizon,  it  appears 
like  a  great  saw,  with  which  planets  might  be  cut  asunder." 

It  was  late  in  the  month  of  March,  the  weather  was  mild,  ■v'egetation 
was  coming  forward  in  luxuriance,  the  fruit  trees  were  loaded  with 
bloom.  That  valley  is  eminently  fertile,  and,  were  it  cultivated  by 
almost  any  people  but  Italians,  miglit  be  the  granary  of  Europe.  It  has 
been  for  twenty  centuries  the  battle-ground  of  nations.  Probably  no 
territory  on  earth,  of  equal  extent,  has  taken  into  its  soil  the  blood  and 
bones  of  so  many  slaughtered  human  beings.  It  is,  on  an  enlarged 
scale,  the  Esdraelon  of  Europe.  As  I  passed  over  its  rich  plains,  the 
history  of  wars  from  the  days  of  Julius  Caisar  to  the  time  of  Napoleon 
the  Great  came  up  fresh  from  the  depths  of  memory,  and  I  felt  as  if 
traversing  a  cemetery  of  tlie  ages. 

We  passed  the  first  Sabbath  in  April  in  Turin,  and  the  next  day 
started  for  the  Pass  of  Mont  Cenis.  Our  course  was  due  north.  On  our 
left  were  the  Maritime  and  the  High  Alps,  a  range  extending  along  the 
western  border  of  Piedmont,  and  dividing  the  kingdom  of  Sardinia  from 
Southern  France.  During  this  day's  journey  my  mind  was  busy  with 
the  remembered  history  of  the  Waldenses,  whose  home  in  the  days  of 
their  persecution  was  in  the  gorges  and  among  the  fastnesses  of  the 
snow-clad  mountains  near  whose  base  we  were  travelling.  I  thought 
of  the  inimitable  sonnet  written  by  John  Milton  when  he  was  Cromwell's 
secretary  :  — 

"  Avenge,  O  Lord,  thy  slaughtered  saints,  whose  bones 
Lie  scattered  on  the  Alpine  mountains  cold; 
p]ven  them  who  kept  thy  Truth  so  pure  of  old, 
When  all  our  fathers  worshipped  stocks  and  stones, 
Forget  no'c  :  in  thy  book  record  their  groans. 
Who  were  thy  sheep,  and  in  their  ancient  fold, 
Slain  by  the  bloody  Piedmontese,  that  rolled 
Mother  and  infant  down  the  rocks.    The  moans 

Tlie  vales  redoubled  to  the  hills,  and  they 
To  heaven.     Their  martyred  blood  and  ashes  sow 
O'er  all  the  Italian  lields,  where  still  doth  sway 
The  triple  tyrant,  that  from  these  may  grow 

A  hundredlold,  wlio,  having  learned  the  way, 
Early  may  fly  the  U;ibylonian  woe  1 " 

We  reached  Susa  early  in  the  evening.  It  had  rained  all  the  day  on 
the  plains ;  but  as  carriages  came  in  from  the  mountains,  the  passengers 


170  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

gave  fearful  accounts  of  the  sno-w-storins  above  that  had  made  journey- 
ing through  the  pass  difficult  and  perilous.  Such  stories  made  us 
anxious  for  the  morrow,  and  wakefulness  that  night  was  not  diminished 
by  misbehavior  on  tlie  part  of  our  coachman,  or  by  a  brawling  torrent, 
the  Doria  Riparia,  that  came  rushing  down  from  Mont  Genevre,  and 
passed  directly  under  our  window.  We  were  called  at  three  in  the 
morning  of  the  Gth  of  April,  and  soon  commenced  the  ascent  with  five 
horses  and  a  postilion.  In  one  hour  we  found  snow,  that  deepened  as 
we  ascended. 

The  r»ad  of  Mont  Cenis  was  constructed  by  Napoleon  I.,  in  1811,  to 
facilitate  his  military  movements.  Giovanni  Fabroni  was  the  engineer, 
and  three  thousand  men  were  employed  five  months  upon  the  work.  It 
connects  the  valley  of  the  Arc  in  Savoy  with  that  of  the  Doria  Riparia 
in  Piedmont.  Its  highest  point  is  five  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
ninety-eight  feet  above  the  Mediterranean.  Several  galleries,  zigzag 
or  serpentine  in  their  course,  were  cut  through  tlie  solid  rock,  one  of 
which  is  two  thousand  feet  in  length.  On  tiie  most  exposed  parts  of  the 
route.  Napoleon  had  caused  to  be  erected  twenty-six  small  inns, — 
Ricovtri,  or  refuges,  —  provided  with  bells  to  be  rung  in  storms  and 
fogs,  and  tenanted  by  cantonniers,  persons  employed  to  keep  the  roads 
passable,  and  render  all  needed  assistance  to  travellers.  To  support 
these  fifty  men  and  families  a  tax  is  levied  by  fixed  tariff"  on  every  horse, 
mule,  and  carriage  passing  over  the  road. 

At  the  first  stopping-place,  Molaretto,  we  began  to  realize  that  we 
were  among  the  Alps,  first,  because  of  the  lofty  peak  of  Rocliemelon, 
that  towered  far  up  into  the  heavens,  and  second,  by  the  appearance  of 
the  cretins,  idiotic  dwarfs,  afflicted  with  tlie  goitre.  As  several  of  that 
class,  with  heavy  pouches  hanging  from  their  throats,  came  out  and 
stared  at  us,  one  of  the  ladies  of  our  company  exclaimed,  "Merciful 
Father!  are  these  thy  children.?"     Hardly  did  tliey  seem  human. 

Our  carriage  moved  heavily  through  the  deep  drifts,  and  was  kept 
upright  only  by  the  aid  of  four  men  wliom  we  employed  for  the  purpose. 
The  hoi'ses  floundered,  tlie  wind  blew  furiously,  the  voiturier  swore  in 
both  French  and  Italian,  and  reminded  us  that  he  should  be  entitled  to 
large  huono  mnno,  and  altogether  our  condition  and  prospects  were  any- 
thing but  enviable.  A  little  above  the  Pass  of  Gaigloine,  the  road  is  cut 
through  rock,  and  we  found  it  full  of  dangers.  On  the  left  was  a  high 
peak,  with  its  masses  of  snow  nearly  overhanging  us.  At  the  right  was 
a  chasm  of  fearful  depth,  into  wliich,  notwithstanding  the  parapet  wall, 
an  avalanche  might  any  moment  plunge  us.  For  several  rods"  we  held 
our  breath  and  felt  quite  unromantic.  Our  guide-book  told  us  of  terri- 
ble disasters  at  that  point.  A  little  farther  on.  after  passing  "  Ricovero 
No.  III."  we  were  stopped  by  a  mass  of  snow,  wiiicli  had  just  come  down 


CEOSSING   MONT    CENIS.  171 

from  the  precipitous  side  of  the  mountain  — a  real,  though  comparativelj 
small,  avalanche.  We  all  left  the  carriage,  and  made  our  way  through 
and  over  the  snow  to  No.  IV.,  fifty  rods  distant,  the  ladies  being  lifted 
over  the  worst  heaps  by  the  strong  arms  of  our  guides.  We  found  a 
good  fire,  and  though  the  place  was  not  very  inviting,  it  was  a  "  Refuge," 
and  we  blessed  the  memory  of  Napoleon  for  so  much  comfort.  The 
cantonniers  were  on  hand,  and  in  about  an  hour  they  had  opened  a  way 
for  the  carriage.  Soon  we  were  moving  along  the  wild  and  terrific  plain 
of  San  Nicolo,  which  presented  to  us  scenery  of  the  grandest  kind.  O, 
what  mountain  peaks  !  We  seemed  shut  in,  with  no  way  of  egress  Lut 
up,  by  winding  galleries,  the  almost  perpendicular  sides  of  a  mountain 
whose  top  was  rendered  invisible  by  clouds  of  snow  driven  by  the  wind. 
In  some  such  place  as  this,  though  in  another  part  of  the  great  Alpine 
range,  Byron  must  have  written,  — 

"  Above  me  arc  the  Alps, 
The  palaces  of  Nature,  whose  vast  walls 
Have  pinnacled  in  clouds  their  snowy  scalps, 
And  throned  Eternity  in  icy  halls 
Of  cold  sublimity,  where  forms  and  fiills 
The  avalanche  —  the  thunderbolt  of  snow! 
All  that  expands  the  spirit,  yet  appalls. 
Gathers  around  these  summits  as  to  show 
How  Earth  may  pierce  to  Heaven,  yet  leave  vain  man  below." 

Up  along  those  galleries  we  slowly  rose,  turning  by  very  acute  angles 
from  one  to  another,  which  seemed  to  be  almost  parallel.  Above  us  we 
could  not  see ;  below  was  that  wild  gorge  through  which  we  had  come ; 
away  was  that  Italy  we  had  left  rejoicing  in  sun  and  shower,  verdure 
and  bloom.  We  looked,  and  bade  adieu  to  a  land  rich  in  historic  associ- 
ations —  a  land  of  bright  skies  and  beautiful  scenery,  but  wofully 
cursed  by  the  rule  of  the  Man  of  Sin !  Suddenly  one  of  the  guides 
appeared  at  the  carriage  window,  and  pointing  up,  exclaimed,  "  La 
Grande  Croix!  La  Grande  Croix!"  There,  indeed,  was  the  desired 
summit,  and  on  it  a  large  red  cross.  In  our  circumstances,  having  gone 
through  many  dangers,  the  words  of  the  guide  were  musical.  How 
suggestive  of  something  higher,  raising  the  thoughts  from  the  physical 
to  the  spiritual,  turning  them  from  Sinai  to  Calvary ! 

After  dining  at  the  "  Hotel  de  la  Grande  Croix,"  our  carriage  was 
put  upon  a  traineau,  a  kind  of  ill-shapen  sled,  and  we  set  off  for  the 
point  of  descent.  For  six  miles  our  route  lay  along  what  is  called  the 
plain  of  Mont  Cenis,  the  road  being  so  constructed  as  neither  to  as- 
cend nor  descend.  The  snow  was  deep,  but  the  faithful  cantonniers  had 
excavated  a  patii.  On  our  left  was  the  towering  peak  of  Mont  Cenis, 
reaching  up  many  thousand  feet,  and  glowing  ever  as  the  sunlight  came 
Uirough  the  rifts  in  the  wild  and  angry  clouds.     Our  progress  was  mod* 


172  MEMOIR    OF   DR.    STOW. 

crate,  owing  to  the  constant  drifting  of  tlie  snow,  antl  the  rickety  con- 
dition of  our  improvised  vehicle.  Near  the  lake,  of  wliich  many  strange 
stories  are  told,  we  came  upon  the  Hospice,  founded  in  the  ninth  cen- 
tury by  Charlemagne  for  the  accommodation  of  travellers,  suppressed 
at  the  time  of  the  French  revolution,  and  restored  by  Napoleon.  As 
then  we  were  entering  Savoy,  a  man  came  out  in  a  dilapidated  military 
uniform,  with  a  greasy  chapeau  a  la  Bonaparte,  and  asked  to  see 
our  passports.  After  looking  them  over  and  finding  all  right,  he 
touched  his  cap,  and  then  extended  his  hand,  and  in  the  tone  of  a  men- 
dicant said,  ''  Pour-hoire,  messieurs."  I  repeated  his  words,  as  if  not 
understanding  him.  "  0,  irink-geld,"  he  replied;  '^  buo>io  mano."  He 
could  beg  in  three  languages,  and  so  I  gave  him  a  small  coin,  that 
seemed  to  more  than  satisfy  him,  for  he  doffed  his  chapeau,  and  was 
profuse  in  thanks. 

At  about  five  in  the  afternoon  we  had  passed  so  far  through  the  snow- 
drifts as  to  be  able  to  resume  our  wheels  and  proceed  without  post-horses 
and  guides.  The  descent  of  the  mountain  was  by  six  long  galleries. 
From  the  top  it  seemed  as  if  it  would  require  but  a  few  minutes  to  reach 
Lans-le-bourg,  which  lay  far  down  in  the  valley  of  the  Arc.  But  the 
descent,  though  rapid,  was  so  circuitous  as  to  take  an  hour  and  a  half. 
The  passage  from  Susa  is  generally  made  in  eight  hours.  We  were 
fifteen.     That  day  will  never  be  forgotten. 

To  the  truthfulness  and  life-hke  accuracy  of  this  descrip- 
tion those  who  have  crossed  Mont  Cenis  can  bear  witness. 
The  impression  made  upon  the  mind  by  the  subUme  scenery 
will  never  be  erased  from  memory.  At  Geneva  Mr.  Stow 
lingered  for  a  day  or  two.  His  description  of  a  Sabbath  sj^ent 
in  tliis  beautiful  city  is  worthy  of  record. 

Geneva,  April  11,  Lord's  day.  A  most  beautiful  morning.  Mont 
Blanc  is  distinctly  visible.  The  lake  is  perfectly  placid,  and  reflects 
from  its  mirror-like  surface  the  buildings  and  eminences  upon  its  mar- 
gin. The  streets  are  quiet,  and  tlie  few  people  who  are  moving  to  and 
fro  seem,  by  their  gait  and  expression,  to  recognize  the  sacredness 
of  the  day.  O  for  the  delicious  comfort  of  a  New  England  Sabbath ! 
Shall  I  have  anything  like  it  to-day  ? 

At  ten  o'clock  we  went  in  search  of  Rev,  Caesar  Malan's  place  of  wor- 
ship. Passing  out  of  the  Porte  de  Rive,  we  found  it  outside  of  the  I'ara- 
parts,  and  were  disappointed  to  learn  that  it  would  not  be  open  for  ser- 
vice until  two  o'clock.  A  woman,  who  seemed  to  be  the  porter, 
unlocked  the  door,  and  let  us  in.  The  phicc  is  small,  and  exceedingly 
plain.     I  then  left  Mrs.  S.  in  the  garden,  and  went  to  the  house  of  Mr. 


SABBATU    AT    GENEVA.  173 

Malan,  to  wliom  I  had  brought  a  letter  introtluctory  from  Mr.  Edward 
J.  Woolsey,  of  New  York,  one  of  liis  former  i)upils,  and  only  brotlier 
of  the  late  C.  W.  Woolsey,  who  was  lost  in  the  Lexington,  and  who  was 
also  a  pupil  of  Mr.  M.  He  is  gone  on  a  mission  to  the,  south  of  France, 
and  will  not  return  till  the  middle  of  May.  One  of  his  daughters, 
who  speaks  some  English,  received  me,  and  answered  my  questions 
quite  intelligently.  Mr.  M.  suffers  less  from  persecution  than  formerly, 
and  has  the  pleasure  of  seeing  evangelical  sentiments  on  the  increase  in 
Geneva.  Much  truth  is  now  preached  by  several  clergymen,  two  or 
three  of  whom  belong  to  the  national  church.  We  then  went  to  the 
catliedral,  called  St.  Pierre,  and  found  the  place  crowded  full.  As  we 
entered  the  congregation  were  singing  a  tune  which  I  have  often  heard 
at  home,  accompanied  by  a  noble  organ.  The  officiating  minister  then 
rose,  and  offered  an  extemporaneous  prayer  in  a  manner  that  indicated 
devotional  feeling.  The  sermon  was  upon  the  resurrection  of  Christ, 
and  was  delivered  with  deliberation,  pathos,  and  energy.  The  tones  of 
his  voice  were  peculiarly  rich  and  mellow.  Twice  during  the  discourse 
he  desisted  for  a  minute,  and  in  each  instance  the  whole  congregation 
moved  their  feet,  took  out  their  pocket-handkerchiefs,  &c.  While  he 
was  speaking  the  silence  and  attention  were  perfect.  The  services  were 
in  French.     In  this  church  John  Calvin  preached. 

From  Paris,  a  few  days  after  this  date,  he  writes,  "  Boston 
is  preferable  to  any  place  I  have  yet  seen,  and  towards  it  I 
am  glad  to  press  ray  way.  The  Lord  still  be  onr  gnide  and 
protector."  Early  in  May  he  reaches  London.  It  is  the 
season  of  the  great  anniversaries,  and  so  far  as  his  health  will 
permit,  he  is  in  constant  attendance  on  the  services.  We  can 
only  express  our  regret  that  we  cannot  follow  him  to  tl>ese 
great  public  gatherings,  and  give  to  our  readers  his  comments 
and  criticisms  on  what  he  saw  and  heard.  With  the  scenery 
around  Windsor  Castle,  Avhich  he  visited  during  one  of  those 
charming  May  days,  he  expresses  himself  as  highly  delighted. 
Pleasant  memories  are  called  up  at  Eton.  From  the  "  Round 
Tower  "  he  speaks  of  seeing,  in  the  north,  the  church  Avhere 
Gray  wrote  his  inimitable  Elegy,  also  a  mansion  of  one  of 
the  descendants  of  William  Penn.  We  let  him  tell  us  how 
he  passed  one  of  his  Sabbaths  in  London. 


London,  May  IG. 


■  This  is  the  day  the  Lord  hath  made; 
He  calls  the  hours  his  own." 


174  MEMOIR   OF   DPw    STOW. 

May  I  regard  them  and  observe  them  as  his  own.  Eead  a  part  of 
Psahii  cxix.,  and  in  prayer  found  sweet  refreshment  of  soul.  God  was 
pleased  to  allow  me  near  access,  and  to  lift  upon  me  the  light  of  his 
countenance.  I  lingered  long  at  the  tlirone,  gazing  upon  uncreated 
beauty,  and  found  more  real  enjoyment  than  all  things  human  can  pos- 
sibly afford.  My  very  soul  was  drawn  out  in  petition  for  uiy  dear  peo- 
ple in  Baldwin  Place.  "  God  be  merciful  unto  them,  and  bless  them, 
and  cause  his  face  to  shine  upon  them,"  to-day,  to-morroR^,  and  forever. 
AVent  this  morning  to  New  Park  Street.  Heard  a  precious  discourse 
from  Rev.  Mr.  Miall,  an  independent  minister.  It  wanted  point  and 
application  to  the  conscience,  but  was  full  of  good  instruction,  and 
breatlied  a  charming  spirit.  My  name  was  announced  as  the  preacher 
for  next  Lord's  day.  I  very  reluctantly  consented  to  this  arrangement, 
and  should  gladly  be  excused.  I  have  no  ambition  to  preach  in  a  Lon- 
don pulpit.  Should  I  do  so,  however,  I  pray  the  Lord  to  purify  my 
motives,  and  give  me  grace  to  do  my  duty.  Several  things  in  the  pub- 
lic worsliip  in  London  I  much  admire,  and  should  be  glad  to  see  them 
imitated  in  Boston. 

1.  When  the  people  enter  the  pews,  tliey  bow  their  heads  in  silent 
prayer  for  one  or  two  minutes. 

2.  They  have  their  pews  well  supplied  with  Bibles,  as  well  as  hymn- 
books, 

3.  When  the  benediction  is  pronounced,  they  stand  for  half  a  minute 
in  silence. 

4.  They  are  exceedingly  moderate  in  leaving  the  house,  never  crowd- 
ing the  aisles. 

5.  Gentlemen  do  not  put  on  their  hats  until  they  have  reached  the 
door. 

G.  They  have  pew-openers,  wlio  not  only  open  the  pews  for  their  pro- 
prietors or  regular  occupants,  but  conduct  strangers  to  such  seats  as 
might  not  otherwise  be  occupied. 

The  next  Sabbath,  as  announced,  he  preached  at  the  Xew 
Park  Street  Chapel,  and  writes  in  his  journal,  "  O  that  good 
may  prove  to  have  been  done  to  precious  souls ! "  On  the 
27th  the  party  left  London,  and  went  to  Bristol,  parting 
with  great  affection  from  the  many  friends  they  had  made 
during  the  nearly  four  Aveeks  of  their  residence  at  No.  6 
Queen's  Street  Place.  While  at  Bristol,  they  rode  out  to 
Barley  Wood,  the  residence  of  Hannah  More.  Mr.  Stow  has 
left  on  record  an  exceedingly  interesting  account  of  this  visit, 
but  we  are  obliged  to  omit  it.     The  1st  of  June  he  reached 


RETURN'   TO   KOSTON".  "  175 

Livoi-pool.     The  fullowing  is  the  last  entry  in  the  journal 
wliicli  he  kept  of  his  first  European  tour  :  — 

Liverpool,  June  1.  Attcndod  to  business  preparatory  to  embarkation. 
M'as  introduced  to  Mr.  Samuel  Stillman  Gair,  of  the  house  of  Baring 
Brotliers,  and  son  of  Rev.  Mv.  Gair,  the  predecessor  of  Dr.  Baldwin, 
as  pastor  of  tlie  church  which  I  have  tlie  honor  to  serve.  He  made 
many  kind  inquiries  resjjecting  some  of  the  aged  people  of  whom  he  had 
beard  his  motlier  speak.  Mr.  G.  appears  to  be  quite  a  gentleman,  and 
generously  offered  to  serve  mc  in  any  way  practicable.  In  every  in- 
stance during  my  tour  I  have  found  bankers  attentive  and  obliging, 
whether  I  did  business  with  them  or  not.  Six  months  have  now  passed 
away  since  I  bade  adieu  to  liome  and  country ;  during  that  period  I 
have  seen  much,  enjoyed  much,  and  suffered  as  well.  God  has  been 
God  all  tlie  way  of  my  wanderings,  and  I  would  ever  speak  well  of  his 
goodness. 

One  of  the  most  discouraging  circumstances  in  the  prospects  of  the 
dissenters  in  England  is,  the  strong  propensity  of  the  better  sort  to 
sympathize  with  the  Establishment.  "The  third  carriage  goes  to 
church."  No  sooner  does  a  man  become  wealthy,  or  exhibit  unusual 
talent,  than  he  is  noticed  by  Episcopalians ;  and  poor  human  nature, 
too  weak  to  withstand  such  influences,  soon  yields,  and  he  is  lost  to  the 
dissenting  interest.  The  church  has  a  power  of  patronage  that  draws 
off  the  superior  minds;  as  one  of  the  ministers  said  to  me,  "  Sir,  we 
are  constantly  skinned  by  the  Establishment." 

During  all  the  public  meetings  in  London,  I  did  not  hear  of  a  single 
prayer  meeting;  even  the  monthly  concert  of  prayer,  for  the  first  Mop- 
day  in  May  was  omitted.  Very  few  of  the  great  meetings  were  opened 
with  prayer. 

On  the  4th  he  embarked  on  board  the  Cokmibia,  and  after 
the  usual  ocean  experiences,  reached  Boston  on  the  16th. 
At  the  wharf  a  large  company  of  his  church  and  congrega- 
tion met  him,  and  gave  him  and  his  associates  in  travel  a 
"  most  fervent  and  affecting  welcome,"  The  following  Sab- 
bath, with  emotions  which  Ave  can  readily  conceive,  he  stood 
once  more  in  the  spot  so  dear  to  him  —  the  pulpit  of  the  old 
Baldwin  Place  Church. 

June  20,  Lord's  day.  Preached  this  morning  to  my  dear  people,  from 
P.^alni  cxix.  Co,  in  which  I  endeavored  to  glorify  God  by  recounting 
some  acts  of  his  providential  kindness.     The  house  was  crowded,  the 


176  MEMOIR    OF    DK.    STOW. 

audience  very  attentive.     The  following  hymn  was  sung  as  I  entered 
the  church :  — 

"  Welcome,  welcome,  blessed  pastor, 
Messenger  of  Jesus'  grace, 
Herald  of  a  free  salvation, 
Minister  of  gospel  peace. 
Welcome,  welcome, 
Man  of  God,  thy  people's  joy. 

"For  a  season,  at  God's  bidding, 
Called  in  pain  to  bid  adieu. 
By  his  care  again  now  meeting, 
We  our  songs  of  praise  renew, 
Joy  and  gladness 
Filling,  warming  every  heart. 

"  Heavenly  Father,  bless  his  message, 
Give  us  hearts  to  hear  thy  word. 
Speaking  pardon,  dearly  purchased 
By  the  sufferings  of  our  Lord. 
O,  reveal  it 
In  its  wondrous  saving  power. 

"  Let  thy  favor  crown  thy  servant. 
Prosper  all  his  work  of  love, 
^  And  at  last,  with  us  all  ransomed, 

May  he  take  his  place  above. 
»  Bless,  O  bless  him 

Now,  henceforth,  and  evermore." 

The  objects  which  were  contemplated  by  this  tour  abroad 
were  in  good  part  accomplished.  Mr.  Stow  returned  home 
greatly  refreshed  in  spirit,  and  was  jDrej^ared  with  new  zeal 
to  enter  upon  his  ministerial  labors.  These  labors  he  at  once 
resumed  with  a  joyous,  elastic  spirit.  His  heart  was  with 
his  people,  and  he  was  ready  to  devote  his  recruited  energies 
to  any  work  by  which  their  spiritual  welfare  might  be  j^ro- 
moted.  He  seemed,  however,  destined  not  to  be  left  in 
peace.  For  the  third  time  he  received  a  pressing  invitation 
to  accept  the  presidency  of  Waterville  College,  which  he  de- 
clined, saying,  in  his  own  emphatic  words,  "  So  long  as  I  can 
preach  the  gospel,  and  do  the  work  of  a  pastor,  I  would  ac- 


REV.   ROLLIN    HEBER    NEALE,   D    D. 


ANTICIPATIONS    OF    A   REVIVAL.  177 

cept  no  presidency  on  earth."  His  journal  everywhere  in* 
dicates  the  intense  longings  of  his  heart  for  the  revival  of 
religion.  If  "Brother  Neale"  calls  at  his  house,  the  con- 
versation turns  on  the  best  means  of  promoting  tlie  religious 
\velfare  of  the  churches  of  Avhich  they  are  i)astors.  If  pleas- 
ant intelligence  comes  from  different  places  of  refresliing 
seasons  enjoyed  by  the  churclies,  tlie  prayer  is  put  up,  "Lord, 
send  down  showers  of  divine  influence  upon  us,  and  revive 
our  dying  graces."  Every  jDastor,  Avhose  labors  have  been 
especially  blessed  to  the  conversion  of  men,  understands  what 
it  is  to  have  strong  impressions  that  the  tide  of  religious  feel- 
ing and  inquiry  is  about  to  rise,  and  to  find  afterwards  that 
these  impressions  have  been  realized.  Mr.  Stow  records  such, 
and  does  it  almost  in  a  strain  of  exultation,  as  if  he  Avere  sure 
that 'the  blessed  vision  which  had  dawned  upon  his  enrap- 
tured gaze  would  prove  to  be  more  substantial  than  an  airy 
dream.  Adhering  to  his  cherished  purpose  to  continue  in 
the  pastoral  oflice,  l>e  declines  the  offer  made  to  him  to  be- 
come one  of  the  corresponding  secretaries  of  the  Baptist 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  to  which  position  he  had  been 
unanimously  elected.  "The  indications  of  Providence  all 
assure  me  that  I  ought  to  remain  where  I  am  —  the  path  of 
duty  is  plain."  What  these  "  indications  "  were,  which  in 
his  mind  were  so  strong,  we  learn  when  he  tells  us,  under 
date  of  December  29, 1841,  "  The  Lord  is  truly  in  our  midst. 
Christians  are  melted  down  before  God,  and  sinners  are  con- 
verted." With  such  proofs  of  ansAver  to  prayer,  which,  for 
so  many  months,  had  been  ascending  to  heaven  for  a  blessing. 
Baron  Stow  was  not  the  man  to  leave  the  post  of  duty,  no 
matter  how  urgent  the  invitations  which  called  him  else- 
where. 

1842. 

The  year  1842  will  long  be  remembered  as  having  been  a 
year  of  great  spiritual  blessing  to  the  evangelical  churches  of 
Boston.  Rev.  Mr.  Kirk,  for  so  many  years  the  honored  and 
beloved  pastor  of  the  Mount  Vernon  Congregational  Church, 
<  12 


llO  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

had,  for  some  months,  been  preaching  with  singular  unction  and 
success.  "We  have  ah'eady  alluded  to  the  strong  impression 
which  seems  to  have  been  made  on  the  mind  of  the  Baldwin 
Place  jiastor,  that  God  was  about  to  pour  out  his  Spirit  in 
copious  measure.  His  own  public  and  social  religious  services 
were  marked  by  unwonted  solemnity.  Christians  had  been 
getting  into  a  better  state,  and  anxious  sinners  were  inquir- 
ing the  way  of  salvation.  In  the  First  Church,  Rev.  Jacob 
Knapp  was  preaching  with  great  plainness  and  power.  Every- 
where the  religious  atmosphere  seemed  to  be  pervaded  with 
divine  influences.  His  engagement  at  the  First  Church  being 
ended,  Mr.  Knapp  preached  a  number  of  times  at  the  Bald- 
win Place  Church,  and  the  most  marked  results  attended  his 
labors.  Under  date  of  February  6,  Mr.  Stow  alludes  to  an 
inquiry  meeting,  held  in  his  vestry,  at  which  more  than  one 
hundred  presented  themselves  as  converts  and  inquirers,  and 
a  few  days  after  he  refers  to  a  "  prayer  meeting  of  remarka- 
ble power;  the  Holy  Spirit  was  manifestly  i^resent."  He 
adds,  "  The  revival  is  daily  becoming  more  and  more  interest- 
ing. The  Lord  is  adding  daily  to  the  churches  such  as,  we 
trust,  are  truly  converted,  and  shall  be  saved."  As  an  evi- 
dence of  the  way  in  which  his  own  heart  is  stirred,  and 
how,  while  under  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  his  soul 
was  enlarged  and  expanded,  he  tells  us  of  the  longings  he 
felt  for  a  general  revival  of  religion  in  the  English  Baptist 
churches.  As  the  result  of  his  own  observation,  he  gives  it 
as  his  impression  that  these  churches  do  not  pray  and  labor 
as  they  should  for  the  conversion  of  souls.  So  full  is  his 
heart  of  desires  for  his  brethren  "  over  the  water,"  that  he 
thinks  he  would  like  to  go  to  England  and  labor  there  as  an 
evangelist,  endeavoring  to  kindle  up  the  revival  spirit,  and 
encourage  them  to  the  use  of  true  revival  measures.  As  the 
weeks  pass  away  the  religious  interest  increases.  He  esti- 
mates that,  on  the  last  Sabbath  in  February,  one  hundred 
persons  were  baj)tized  in  the  Baptist  chm'ches  of  the  city, 
of  which  number  twenty-five  received  the  rite  at  his  hands. 
On  the  first  Sabbath  in  March,  he  gave  the  hand  of  fellow- 


THE    GKEAT    KEVIVAL    OF    1842.  179 

ship  to  fifly-eiglit  persons.  On  these  occasions  of  receiving 
members  into  the  cliurch,  lie  was  always  peculiarly  happy, 
having  some  appropriate  word  to  say  to  each  candidate.  A 
Sabbath  or  two  after  this  solemn  and  impressive  scene,  he 
baptized  twenty-one  more,  six  of  whom  were  aged  persons ; 
and  the  following  Sabbath  thirteen  others  were  led  down 
into  the  waters  of  baptism,  and  on  the  same  day  he  gave 
the  hand  of  fellowship  to  fifty-nine  persons.  In  such  scenes 
as  these  how  did  the  heart  of  this  loving,  laborious  pastor 
rejoice  with  holy  delight !  All  that  strength  and  new  nervous 
energy  which  he  had  been  accumulating  for  so  many  months, 
in  his  foreign  tour,  he  cheerfully  expended  in  the  cause  of 
his  Master.  It  was  matter  of  unutterable  gladness  to  him 
that  he  could  "  spend  and  be  spent "  in  the  service  of  the 
Lord  whom  he  so  much  loved.  At  length  he  thinks  he 
notices  the  signs  of  an  ebb  in  the  tide  of  religious  feeling 
which  has  risen  so  high.  His  heart  is  pained  as  he  sees  that 
some  in  the  congregation,  for  whose  conversion  he  has  prayed 
and  labored,  have  not  yet  become  the  subjects  of  the  con- 
verting grace  of  God.  "  I  have  warned  and  entreated  them 
with  tears  day  and  night.  I  can  do  no  more  than  I  have 
done.     Lord,  teach  me  duty,  and  give  me  the  right  spirit." 

The  spring  and  summer  of  1842  passed  away.  The  large 
accession  to  his  church  imposed  on  him  a  great  burden  of 
pastoral  care.  He  felt  too  deep  an  interest  in  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  the  scores  of  converts  who  had  been  brought  into 
his  church  to  leave  them  as  sheep  vrithoiit  a  shepherd.  He 
was  personally  acquainted  with  them  all,  followed  them  to 
their  homes  and  places  of  business,  and  exercised  towards 
them  all  the  watch-care  of  a  tender  friend. 

Resuming  his  labors  in  the  fall,  after  his  summer  vacation, 
we  find  his  mind  especially  exercised  on  the  subject  of  foreign 
missions.  Alluding  to  a  sermon  an  hour  and  three  quaiters 
in  length,  which  he  had  preached,  he  says,  "  Never  am  I 
happier  than  when  j^ieading  the  cause  of  the  heathen.  For 
several  weeks  my  mind  has  been  more  deeply  than  ever 
interested  in  the  cause  of  foreign  missions,  and  I  have  given 


180  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

it  mucli  time  and  thought.  In  preaching  upon  the  subject 
six  times,  I  have  liad  unusual  liberty  and  comfort,  and  I  trust 
have,  by  the  grace  of  God,  done  some  good."  At  a  special 
missionary  meeting  held  in  Worcester,  which  was  suggested 
by  himself,  he  preached  the  sermon.  His  whole  heart  had 
become  so  completely  absorbed  in  the  subject,  that  it  becomes 
a  question  of  personal  duty,  whether  he  ouglit  not,  in  view 
of  the  wants  of  a  perishing  world,  and  the  great  lack  of 
laborers,  to  lay  himself  on  the  altar  of  sacrifice,  and  devote 
himself  to  the  work  of  preaching  the  gospel  to  those  Avho 
are  sittinsr  "  in  darkness,  and  in  the  remon  and  shadow  of 
death."  "If  others  will  not  go,  I  must.  O,  my  Saviour, 
show  me  what  thou  will  have  me  to  do.  I  am  not  my  own. 
I  am  thine.  I  submit  myself  to  thy  disposal.  Place  me 
where  thou  wilt,  only  make  me  useful  to  the  largest  possible 
extent." 

1843-1844. 

Extensive  alterations  and  improvements  haA'ing  been  made 
in  their  place  of  worship  by  the  Baldwin  Place  Church,  they 
took  possession  of  the  same  on  the  22d  of  January,  1843, 
when  the  pastor  preached  an  appropriate  sermon  on  his 
favorite  theme, "  The  Moral  Grandeur  of  the  Death  of  Christ." 
Soon  after  this,  he  was  prostrated  by  the  disease  from  which 
he  was  to  suffer  so  much,  and  which,  so  many  times,  laid  him 
aside  from  his  duties  —  a  serious  difficulty  in  his  throat.  It  Is 
an  experience  which  tries  h's  faith  to  the  utmost,  thus  to  be 
withdrawn  again  from  his  chosen  work.  He  knows  how  dis- 
appointed his  people  are,  after  having  made  so  many  sacrifices 
to  remodel  their  church,  and  confidently  expecting  the  hap- 
piest results  from  what  had  been  accomplished.  How  many 
anxious  pastors,  situated  as  he  was,  will  sympathize  Avith  the 
almost  agonizing  outburst  of  his  feelings,  "  Lord,  must  the 
Avinter  pass  away,  and  there  be  no  reviving,  no  conversions  ? 
I  would  not  complain  of  thy  ways.  I  would  not  be  unsub- 
missive to  thy  toill ;  but.  Lord,  do,  in  mercy,  show  me  where 
the  evil  is,  that  i)revents  the  answer  to  prayer.     Is  it  in  me  ? 


ANOTHER    CALL    TO    WATEKVILLE    COLLEGE.  181 

What  can  I  do  to  remove  it  ?  Arc  there  sins  in  tlic  church, 
covered  up,  unrepented  of,  justified?  O  Lord,  my  heart 
Itreaketli  with  desire  for  the  salvation  of  my  people.  Only 
two  conversions  in  more  than  eight  months.     Let  me  pray." 

Again  there  comes  another  pressing  invitation  to  accept 
tlu'  presidency  of  Waterville  College.  Special  stress  is  laid 
on  the  fact  of  his  physical  jirostration,  incaj^acitathig  him  for 
the  performance  of  his  duties  as  a  preacher,  and  the  hope  is 
expressed  that,  relieved  from  the  work  of  a  public  speaker, 
lie  may  be  able  to  occupy  a  sphere  of  labor,  in  which  he  may 
be  largely  useful.  To  all  the  solicitations  of  the  trustees  of 
the  college  he  feels  that  he  must  return  a  respectful  neg- 
ative, believing  that  God  has  still  more  for  him  to  do  iu 
his  chosen  vocation  as  "  an  ambassador  for  Christ."  A 
res]>ite  of  a  tew  weeks  restored  him  to  comparative  health, 
and  on  the  27tli  of  July  we  find  him  preaching  the  centen- 
nial anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the  Baldwin  Place  Church 
—  an  occasion,  he  tells  us,  of  the  deepest  interest,  especially  to 
the  aged  members  of  the  church.  For  several  months  he  per- 
forms his  duties  with  a  good  degree  of  regularity ;  but  as  the 
i»|)ring  of  1844  returns,  bringing  with  it,  what  Willis  so  sig- 
nificantly called  the  "  salt  and  pepper  "  weather  of  the  lati- 
tude of  Boston,  his  old  malady  returned.  Under  date  of 
May  19,  he  alludes  to  the  sad  forebodings  which  he  has 
that  his  work  may  be  done,  and  fervently  prays  that  he  may 
be  able,  Avith  our  Lord,  to  say,  "  If  it  be  possible,  remove  this 
cup  from  me ;  nevertheless,  not  ray  will,  but  thine,  be  done." 
A  few  days  after,  he  writes  that  he  has  prepared  a  communi- 
cation for  the  church,  exj^ressive  of  his  feelings  towards  them, 
and  stating  the  necessity  of  retiring  for  a  season  from  all 
]iarochial  labor,  in  order  to  give  his  voice  absolute  rest, 
"With  tendei*,  grateful  emotions  he  reviews  his  connection 
M'ith  the  church.  "  Such  a  church  I  may,  I  must,  love.  May 
Heaven's  smile  ever  rest  on  them."  Cessation  from  ministerial 
labor  for  a  brief  period  was  again  followed  by  favorable  re- 
sults. November  6th  is  the  twelfth  anniversary  of  his  Bald- 
wm  Place  pastorate.     The  statistics  of  these  years  he  thus 


182  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW, 

gives.  Two  years  of  the  twelve,  sickness  has  Laid  him  aside 
from  the  active  duties  of  the  ministry.  He  has  preached 
one  thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty-seven  sermons,  made 
eight  thousand  five  hundred  and  thirty-two  visits,  solemnized 
four  hundred  and  eighty-two  marriages,  attended  five  hun- 
dred and  eighty-six  funerals,  baptized  six  hundred  and  forty- 
three,  added  by  letter  two  hundred  and  sixty-one,  dismissed 
three  hundred  and  ninety-four,  excluded  seventy-one ;  one 
hundred  and  twenty-seven  have  died.  What  a  i^icture  of  a 
busy,  earnest,  ministerial  life  is  presented  to  us  by  these 
dgures  I  i# 


LETTER   TO   DR.   CONE.  183 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

Correspondence  between  1886  and  1845. 

We  commence  a  new  chajoter  by  giving  our  readers  some 
of  the  correspondence  which  is  embraced  within  the  years 
1836  and  1845,  the  letters  being  written  by  Mr.  Stow,  or 
friends  with  whom  lie  was  in  communication. 

To  Dr.  Cone. 

Windsor,  Vt.,  September  1,  1837. 

Allow  me  to  .assure  30U  that  many  brethren  in  Boston  and  vicinity 
rejoice  heartily  at  the  prospect  of  seeing  you  among  them,  and  hearing 
from  jour  lips  an  exposition  of  the  character  and  claims  of  the  Ameri- 
can and  Foreign  Bible  Society. 

Yesterday  I  had  the  pleasure  of  attending  the  anniversary  of  the 
Newport  (N.  H.)  Baptist  Association,  wliich  met  at  Cornish,  about  seven 
miles  from  tliis  place.  Resolutions  were  passed  approving  of  the  for- 
mation of  tlie  American  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  and  recommending 
that  it  reserve  to  itself  the  right  to  print  and  circulate  Bibles  in  any  lan- 
guage, and  any  part  of  the  world.  You  will  receive  a  copy  of  tlie  reso- 
lutions. They  were  passed  unanimously.  1  trust  that  our  brethren  in 
New  York  and  other  places  will  yet  learn  that  there  is  no  "  New  Eng- 
land party  "  opposed  to  the  great  enterprise  in  which  you  are  engaged. 
1  presume  every  association  in  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont  will  decide 
in  favor  of  home  distribution. 

To  tlie  same. 

April  2,   18.SS. 

.  .  .  God  grant  that  at  our  anniversaries  this  year  we  may  liave  nothing 
but  charity  for  each  other  and  zeal  for  God.  I  long  to  attend  one  meet- 
ing of  our  Triennial  Convention,  wliere  love  shall  be  the  predominant 
feeling.  Let  us  pray  that  our  approaching  session  may  be  distinguished 
by  the  spirit  of  primitive  Ciiristianity. 

Have  you  seen  Brotiier  Hinton's  (J.  H.)  letter  to  Lord  Bexley,  presi- 


184  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

dent  of  tliH  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society?  Brother  March,  of 
Stepney  College,  writes  me  under  date  of  February  1,  and  says,  "He 
very  powerfully  demonstrates  the  injustice  and  inexpediency  of  the 
policy  of  the  society'  in  their  treatment  of  the  Baptist  versions.  It  has 
enlightened  many  Pedo-Baptist  ministers  in  the  metropolis,  who  are  free 
to  acknowledge  that  the  society  is  in  error,  though  I  believe  there  is 
not  the  slightest  hope  that  the  committee  will  retrace  their  steps." 

To  Dr.  Cone. 

March  9,  ISdO. 

Would  it  be  possible,  some  evening  during  our  anniversary  week  this 
year,  to  have  all  the  ministering  brethren  together  to  tea?  Last  year, 
during  our  May  meetings  in  Boston,  this  was  done  two  evenings  in  suc- 
cession, with  the  happiest  eflfect.  The  meetings  were  held,  as  usual,  in 
the  liouse  of  the  Federal  Street  Church.  After  adjournment  in  the  af- 
ternoon, the  brethren  were  invited  into  the  Sabbath  school  room  in  the 
basement,  and  partook  of  simple  refreshments  provided  by  the  brethren 
and  sisters  in  the  dlfFei-ent  churches.  After  tea,  which  was  taken  stand- 
ing, and  in  a  truly  social  manner,  the  whole  company  was  seated,  and 
some  of  the  aged  ministers  gave  an  account  of  their  predecessors,  such 
as  Smith,  Backus,  Stillman,  Baldwin,  &c. ;  also  of  the  times  in  which 
they  lived  —  times  that  tried  men's  principles  as  well  as  souls.  These 
seasons  were  peculiarly  refreshing,  and  the  results  were  of  the  happiest 
kind.  Brethren  became  acquainted  with  each  other,  and  had  opportu- 
nity for  a  free  interchange  of  thought  and  feeling.  The  practice  is  to 
be  continued. 

Now,  why  can  we  not  have  something  of  the  kind  in  New  York,  at 
least  for  one  evening?  I  should  be  glad  to  pay  for  a  ticket  to  such  an 
entertainment,  and  so  would  every  other  brother  who  loves  Christian 
social  enjoyment. 

I  have  one  other  suggestion.  After  tea  let  us  form  a  "  North  Ameri- 
can Baptist  Union,"  to  consist  of  all  Baptist  ministers  in  North  America 
wiio  are  in  good  standing  in  the  associations  to  which  they  belong.  Let 
the  organization  of  the  Union  be  simple;  the  principal  oflScers,  besides 
the  president  and  treasurer,  to  be  four  secretaries,  one  in  the  Eastern, 
one  in  the  Middle,  one  in  the  Southern,  and  one  in  the  Western  States, 
whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  collect,  from  year  to  year,  as  much  as  possible, 
the  current  history  of  the  denomination,  and  through  one  of  their  num- 
ber prepare  a  report.  In  this  way  a  most  interesting  document  would 
bq  every  year  prepared,  embracing  facts  that  ought  to  be  brought  to- 
gether and  preserved.  Some  day,  during  our  anniversary  week,  let  this 
report  be  read,  and  tlien  let  the  Union  take  tea  togetlier,  and  endeavor 
to  promote  good  fellowship. 

How  do  these  suggestions  strike  you?     If  favorably,  will  you  do  any- 


AMONG   FRIENDS    IN   NEW    YORK.  1S5 

tliinjj  to  forward  the  object?  You  may  possiblj'  hear  from  Brother 
Babcook  upon  the  Sivmc  subjects.  If  they  appear  to  you,  as  they  do  to 
me,  botli  desirable  and  feasible,  I  cannot  doubt  your  readiness  to  pro- 
mote them. 

You  may  be  gratified  to  hear  that  the  Lord  is  again  pouring  upon  tho 
dear  people  in  Baldwin  Place  his  Holy  Spirit,  and  subduing  to  himself 
the  hearts  of  his  chosen. 

To  Miss  Susan  R.  Jones. 

Denmark,  Lewis  County,  N.  Y.,  July  17,  1840. 

Well,  Sister  Susan,  here  you  have,  what  you  so  tremulously  and  deli- 
cately solicited,  a  letter ;  but  whether  it  will  be  found  to  be  such  a  letter 
as  you  are  desiring  and  expecting,  I  am  not  so  certain.  I  know  what 
kind  of  a  communication  is  befitting  both  you  and  myself,  but  I  feel 
unusually  disqualified  for  so  common  a  service.  I  left  dear  home  on 
Monday  afternoon,  quite  unwell,  having  exhausted  myself  by  the  duties 
of  the  precerling  day,  and  having  slept  none  the  previous  (Sunday) 
night,  and  therefore  was  ill-fitted  for  a  journey  of  five  hundred  and  fifty 
miles.  After  travelling  day  and  night  with  no  rest,  no  sleep,  and  with 
a  constant  headache,  I  reached  this  place  at  a  little  past  eight  on  Thurs- 
day morning.  The  excitement  occasioned  by  meeting  loved  friends, 
however  delicious  the  pleasure,  did  not  diminish  the  physical  suffering, 
and  I  am  still  the  victim  of  a  most  excruciating  headache.  How,  then, 
can  I  write  anything  which  will  afford  you  either  pleasure  or  profit? 
I  would  postpone  the  execution  of  my  promise,  but  I  know  not  when 
I  shall  feel  better,  or  have  the  requisite  leisure.  So  I  give  you  the  prod- 
uct of  a  suffering  brain,  not  doubting  but  that  you  will  make  all  the 
allowance  that  the  largest  charity  can  demand. 

Here  I  am  transferred  —  not  by  magic,  for  really  there  is  no  magic 
in  travelling  in  the  middle  of  July  with  the  mercury  at  ninety  de- 
grees, and  one's  pulse  at  one  hundred  and  ten  per  minute  —  but  by 
steam  and  horse  muscle,  from  the  din,  and  dust,  and  villanous  odors 
of  a  city  into  the  pleasantest  part  of  this  "  Black  River  country," 
where  Nature  is  "  beauty  to  the  eye  and  music  to  the  ear."  It  is  a 
charming  region,  and  though  I  cannot  say,  with  Byron,  of  another, 
that  it  is 

"  the  land  of  the  cedar  and  vine. 
Where  tlie  flowers  ever  blossom  and  the  beams  ever  shine," 

yet  I  can  adopt  the  remainder  of  his  description,  — 
"  Where  all,  save  the  spirit  of  man,  is  divine." 

I'he  spot  where  I  am  is  an  elevated  ridge  in  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, and  teeming  with  a  profusion  of  products  for  the  comfort  of  man 
and  beast.     At  the  foot  of  the  eastern  slope  of  this  ridge  runs  Black 


186  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

River  —  a  stream  "  unknown  to  song,"  but  not  unknown  to  Yankee 
enterprise  and  tlie  lovers  of  a  fertile  soil.  Beyond  the  river,  stretching 
away  towards  Lake  Champlain,  lies  a  dense  forest,  still  the  undisturbed 
liaunt  of  the  bear,  the  wolf,  and  the  panther.  From  the  window  where 
I  am  now  sitting,  I  can  see  at  least  tiiirty  miles,  and  the  appearance  is 
much  like  that  of  the  ocean  —  dark,  hazy,  undulating,  and,  in  the  dim 
distance,  seeming  to  meet  the  blue  heavens.  The  scenery  is  peculiarly 
enchanting,  and,  if  I  felt  well,  I  know  I  should  enjoy  it  richly.  But, 
Susan,  this  delightful  country  is  inhabited  by  sinners,  who  draw  largel}- 
from  the  soil,  the  sun,  the  rain,  the  dew,  for  their  comfort,  and  render 
not  to  God  the  gratitude  and  the  service  that  are  due.  There  ai'e  good 
people  here,  but  really  they  seem  not  to  be  sensible  of  God's  great 
goodness  to  them.  It  is  painful  to  see  how  unmindful  even  the  children 
are  of  their  Father's  bounty. 

You  ask,  perhaps,  how  I  enjoy  absence  from  my  flock  and  home.  I 
answer  by  asking  how  you  would  feel  were  you  on  a  visit  of  a  few  days 
to  your  mother  after  a  sei>aration  of  four  years.  Even  you  have  not  a 
better  mother  than  I  am  blessed  with,  and  did  you  know  her  you  would 
admit  she  was  second  only  to  your  own.  O,  how  much  is  comprised  in 
that  one  word,  mother !  And  yet  above  all  is  a  word  infinitely  more  ex- 
pressive and  soul-ravishing  :  it  is  Jesus  !  At  that  word  the  heart  of  the 
Christian,  be  he  as  you  are,  or  as  I  am,  bounds  with  exultation  and  de- 
light. The  ties  tliat  bind  us  to  our  kindred  are  delicate,  and  often  the 
medium  of  exquisite  pleasure;  but  perhaps  they  vibrate  notes  of  woe 
about  as  often  as  of  joy.  The  relation  between  Jesus  and  his  loved  ones 
is  the  occasion  of  nothing  but  enjoyment,  and  that  of  the  richest  kind. 
Let  us  cultivate  closer  intimacy  with  him,  and  then  we  sliall  be  less  de- 
pendent for  satisfaction  on  frail  and  dying  creatures. 

To  his  mother. 

Boston,  September  5,  1840. 

I  feel  that  I  have  occasion  for  gratitude  to  God  that  he  has  permitted 
me  to  visit  you  once  more,  and  find  you  in  such  health,  encouraging 
the  fond  hope  tliat  you  may  be  spared  for  many  years  to  j'our  children, 
to  wiiom  your  life  is,  indeed,  desirable.  May  he  allow  us  to  meet  yet 
again  and  again,  and  every  time  we  meet  may  we  find  one  another  ad- 
vanced in  a  life  of  holiness,  and  more  fit  for  the  heavenly  rest. 

AVe  are  now  in  a  state  of  trial,  and  desire  your  prayers  tliat  we  mny 
have  grace  to  endure  it  as  Christians.  We  are  about  dismissing  a  colony 
of  bretliren  and  sisters  to  unite  with  others  in  forming  a  new  church,  for 
whom  a  new  meeting-house  is  nearly  finislied.  True,  we  have  a  large 
churcli,  consisting  of  more  tlian  seven  hundred  and  fifty  members,  and 
can  spare  a  large  number.     Yet  we  are  tenderly  attached  to  our  dear 


CORRESPONDENCE.  187 

flock,  and  find  it  afflicting  to  part  with  them.  Many  of  our  best  mem- 
bers are  going.  We  part  in  love.  They  go  for  Christ's  sake,  and  we 
surrender  them  for  Clirist's  sake,  and  yet  the  separation  causes  pain. 
O,  how  delightful  the  prospect  of  meeting  in  heaven,  where  parting  will 
be  unknown. 

To  the  same. 

Boston,  October  31,  1840. 

In  consideration  of  the  severity  of  my  labors  during  the  last  eight 
years,  and  the  general  decline  of  my  hcaltii,  my  dear  people  have  re- 
quested me  to  take  a  voyage  to  Europe,  and  be  absent  from  six  to  ten 
or  twelve  montlis,  as  the  case  may  require,  for  the  recruiting  of  my 
strength,  and  for  mj'  general  improvement.  They  offer  to  continue  my 
salary,  and  to  supply  the  pulpit  at  their  own  expense.  Also,  that  E. 
may  accompany  me,  they  offer  an  additional  donation  of  one  thousand 
dollars.  This,  you  will  say,  is  great  kindness.  We  so  regard  it,  and 
feel  that  never  had  a  minister  and  wife  more  occasion  for  gratitude. 

We  have  concluded  to  accept  their  generous  proposition,  and  this 
morning  I  have  engaged  berths  on  board  the  steamsliip  Britannia,  which 
is  to  leave  tiiis  port  for  Liverpool  on  Monday,  November  16,  at  one 
o'clock  P.  M.  I  am  thus  particular  that  you  may  know  the  hour,  and 
pray  for  us  as  we  put  off  upon  the  heaving  billows.  With  ordinary 
prosperity,  we  shall  be  about  twelve  or  thirteen  days  on  tiie  ocean. 
We  then  purpose  to  proceed  to  London  and  Paris,  and  thence  to  Italy, 
and —  if  hostilities  have  ceased  in  the  East  and  the  Holy  Land —  we 
hope,  b\'  divine  permission,  to  visit  the  scenes  of  our  blessed  Saviour's 
labors,  sufferings,  and  death. 

You  will  doubtless  inquire  whether  my  health  is  less  firm  than  usual. 
Permit  me  to  say,  that  the  symptoms  of  a  dangerous  affection  of  the 
heart  are  such  that  my  pliysicians  (three  in  number)  have  directed  me 
to  quit  my  post  and  abstain  from  all  mental  labor  for  several  months. 
They  are  not  very  confident  that  I  shall  ever  be  able  to  resume  my 
charge  in  Baldwin  Place ;  but  they  recommend  this  course  as  the  only 
thing  likely  to  restore  me.  I  have  proposed  to  my  people  to  resign,  and 
take  a  smaller  charge;  but  they  will  not  consent  to  it  so  long  as  any- 
thing can  be  done  that  gives  the  least  promise  of  recovery. 

We  regard  tiie  undertaking  as  a  serious  one,  and  likely  to  subject 
us  to  many  discomforts,  and  perliaps  dangers.  But  we  have  felt  that 
God  has  marked  out  our  course,  and  we  think  he  will  be  our  Keep- 
er, Provider,  and  Eriend. 

•'  We'll  go  and  come, 
Kor  fear  to  die 
Till  from  on  high 
lie  calls  us  home." 

The  Lord  bless  you  forever. 


188  MEMOIR    OF   DE.    STOW. 

To  Miss  S.  R.  Jones. 

Paris,  January  8,  1841. 

I  avail  myself  of  an  hour  to  converse  with  you  in  your  loneliness, 
and  endeavor  to  cheer  that  saddened  spirit  which  has  long  been  borne 
down  under  providential  burdens.  You  have  still  the  sympathy  of 
your  pastor.  Distance  has  not  alienated  this  heart  from  any  of  my 
flock,  much  less  from  those  who  are  the  children  of  suffering  and  sor- 
row. Their  griefs  are  still  my  griefs,  and  for  their  alleviation  and 
support  my  daily  supplications  still  ascend  to  Him  who  is  "  touched 
wilJi  a  feeling  of  our  infirmities,"  and  who  "  bindeth  up  the  broken- 
hearted." 

God  has  been  very  good  to  us,  and  though  I  have  suffered  considera- 
bly from  my  trouble  at  heart,  yet  not  more  than  I  expected,  and  we 
have  been  subjected  to  as  few  privations  and  vexations  as  most  travel- 
lers on  the  same  route.  I  am  remaining  here  a  few  days  to  recruit  and 
obtain  medical  advice  before  proceeding  to  Italy.  The  winter  here  is 
much  more  severe  than  we  anticipated.  That  extraordinary  personage, 
"  the  oldest  inhabitant,"  says  this  is  the  coldest  winter  he  remembers  to 
have  seen  in  Paris.  We  have  tolerably  comfortable  quarters  here, 
although  the  houses  are  far  more  open  than  ours,  and  provided  with 
fireplaces,  very  ill-constructed,  for  warming  the  apartments.  As  wood 
is  very  expensive,  say  forty  dollars  per  cord,  we  cannot  build  large 
fires ;  so  we  obtain  heat  the  best  way  we  can.  We  find  many  Americans 
in  Paris,  some  of  them  old  acquaintances,  among  whom  are  Dr.  Way- 
land,  J.  H.  Buckingham,  S.  H.  Walley,  Martin  T.  Brimmer,  Rev. 
Charles  Brooks  and  lady,  Jabez  Howe  and  lady,  &c. 

After  all,  we  infinitely  prefer  home  to  any  place  that  we  have  yet 
seen  or  heard  of.  Had  I  not  the  hope  of  regaining  lost  health,  I  would 
gladly  set  my  face  this  very  day  towards  Boston.  We  never  realized 
home  blessings  as  we  do  now,  and  could  I  be  heard  to-day  in  Baldwin 
Place,  I  would  say,  "  My  dear  people,  appreciate  and  improve  your 
privileges." 

I  trust,  my  good  friend,  that  you  are  sustained  in  your  affiction  by 
the  promises  of  a  Saviour's  love  and  faithfulness.  "Having  loved  his 
own  which  are  in  the  world,  he  loved  them  unto  the  end."  His  love 
never  cools,  never  terminates.  When  he  prayed  for  iiis  disciples,  as  re- 
corded in  John  xvii.,  he  said  to  his  Father,  '-These  are  in  the  world." 
He  saw  that  they  were  exposed  to  temptations  and  subject  to  trials,  and 
he  sympathized  with  their  condition,  and  prayed  for  their  succor  and 
protection.  Tiius  he  intercedes  for  us  in  heaven.  He  knows  that  we 
are  in  the  world ;  and  having  himself  been  in  the  world,  he  knows  what 
It  is  to  be  a  sufferer.  "He  knoweth  our  frame;  he  reraemberelh  that 
we  are  dust."      How  precious  the  thouglit  tliat  we  are  interested  in  the 


DESCRIPTION    OF    LIFE    IN    ROME.  189 

intercession  of  such  an  Intercessor!  Let  us  not  doubt  liis  ability  or  hia 
disposition  to  help  in  every  time  of  need.  Let  us  think  more  of  him, 
and  converse  with  him  more,  and  confide  in  him  with  our  whole  hearts, 
and  be  ever  ready  to  say,  "  This  is  my  Beloved,  and  this  is  my  Friend, 
O  ye  daughters  of  Jerusalem."  The  Lord  be  with  you  by  day  and  by 
night,  and  multiply  your  comforts  and  relieve  your  sufferings. 

To  his  brother-in-law,  W.  L.  Beal. 

EoME,  March  2,  1841. 

Our  stay  at  Naples  was  shorter  than  we  originally  intended,  owing 
partly  to  our  delay,  first  at  Paris  and  then  at  Avignon,  occasioned  by 
my  illness,  and  partly  by  the  fact  that  we  did  not  find  ourselves  very 
comfortably  situated.  We  liked  the  climate  exceedingly,  it  was  so  soft 
and  balmy ;  but  the  streets  are  narrow  and  dirty,  the  people  unclean 
and  perfidious,  and  living  is  very  expensive.  We  were  deceived  and 
clieated  more  in  Naples  than  we  could  well  endure,  and  so  we  finished 
up  our  sight-seeing  as  rapidly  as  possible,  and  departed  without  a  reluc- 
tant feeling. 

Omitting  what  has  ah-eady  been  so  fully  described  in  Mr. 
Stow's  journal,  we  transcribe  from  this  letter  a  few  of  his 
exjjeriences  in  Rome :  — • 

At  Rome  we  found  it  very  expensive  living  at  a  hotel,  and  so  we  have 
hired  furnished  apartments.  Our  courier,  Henry,  prepares  our  break- 
fasts ;  our  dinners  are  sent  to  us  from  a  Trattoria,  or  restaurant.  We 
take  but  two  meals  a  day.  This  has  been  our  custom  all  the  way  on 
the  continent  —  breakfast  at  eight,  dinner  at  five,  with  a  luncli  between. 
In  this  way  we  have  time  to  go  out  and  employ  the  day  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage in  sight-seeing.  We  do  not  much  admire  Italian  cooking  or 
Italian  beds,  but  we  endeavor  to  take  things  as  they  are.  We  like 
Kome  better  than  Naples.  It  is  more  quiet  and  cleanly,  and  we  suffer 
less  apprehension  of  mischief  from  the  vicious  habits  of  the  people. 
While  I  now  write  in  a  huge  saloon  on  tlie  fourth  floor  of  a  prodigious 
house,  No.  12  in  the  Corso,  Elizabeth  is  near  me  reading  Vasi's  ac- 
count of  the  objects  we  have  visited  to-day.  Mr.  G.  is  sitting  with  his 
feet  over  a  few  ignited  coals,  and  Mrs.  G.  is  writing  a  letter  to  Boston. 
It  is  the  coldest  evening  we  have  had  since  we  left  Avignon.  The  sky 
is  cloudless,  and  truly  Italian.  The  moon  is  wading  through  the  depths 
of  ether,  and  casting  down  her  silver  light  upon  this  ancient  city,  where 
BO  many  millions  have  run  the  race  of  life  and  found  its  goal.  Tiie 
associations  that  follow  in  rapid  succession  are  enough  to  make  a  dull 
bead  poetical. 


i90  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

I  cannot  even  name  tlie  objects  we  have  seen.  We  have  been  here 
ten  days,  and  we  have  been  by  no  means  idle.  We  arrived  in  the  midst 
of  the  carnival,  which  continued  eiglit  days.  The  last  two  days  we 
saw,  and  it  was  quite  enough  for  us  grave  old  folks.  More  fun  and 
nonsense  could  hardly  be  crowded  into  two  days.  If  you  see  Mr.  Hague, 
he  will  tell  you  how  silly  the  multitude  act.  On  Ash-Wedncsday  I 
stood  two  hours  and  a  half  in  the  Sistine  Chapel  gazing  at  the  services, 
in  which  the  pope,  twenty  of  his  cardinals,  and  many  others  participated. 
After  the  cardinals  had  kissed  the  pope's  robe,  and  the  others  had  kissed 
his  toe,  he  sprinkled  ashes  on  their  heads.  The  whole  atfair  was  about 
ns  farcical  as  the  scenes  of  the  carnival,  only  it  was  more  sober.  The 
music  by  the  pope's  choir  was  very  good.  Wlien  you  were  in  London, 
I  suppose  you  regarded  St.  Paul's  as  a  huge  structure ;  and  so  it  is. 
But,  compared  with  St.  Peter's,  it  is  a  baby-house.  I  had  no  conception 
of  the  majesty  and  grandeur  of  this  incomparable  basilic  until  I  saw  it. 
I  shall  hope  in  vain  ever  to  give  you  any  conception  of  its  magnitude 
and  splendor. 

Yesterday  we  visited,  by  special  permission,  the  Pope's  Palace  on  the 
Quirinal  Hill.  It  is  spacious  and  riclily  furnished.  His  garden  is  ex- 
tensive and  admirably  arranged.  It  has  one  hundred  fountains,  no  two 
of  which  are  alike.  As  we  walked  through  the  palace  and  the  garden, 
which  occupied  two  and  a  half  hours,  we  could  not  forbear  inquiring 
whether  Peter,  the  fisherman  of  Galilee,  the  pope's  boasted  predecessor 
in  the  pontifical  chair,  ever  had  such  a  palace  and  such  a  garden,  such 
a  cafe,  such  a  billiard-room,  such  galleries  of  sculpture  and  painting, 
such  frescoes,  arabesques,  and  mosaics,  such  thrones,  and  divans,  and 
couches,  such  saloons,  halls  of  audience,  staircases,  &c.  Is  the  pope 
really  a  minister  of  Jesus,  the  successor  of  the  apostles,  who  would  pay 
tribute-money  only  by  taking  it  from  the  mouth  of  a  fish?  Was  Peter 
surrounded  wherever  he  went,  with  a  guard  of  soldiers? 

To  his  mother. 

Boston,  July  19,  1841. 

When  we  returned  to  our  native  shores,  I  did  not  suppose  that  I  could 
allow  more  than  four  weeks  to  pass  away  without  giving  you  the  pleas- 
ure of  hearing  from  me  the  particulars  which  a  mother  would  wish  to 
know  respecting  her  children.  But  perhaps  you  can  conceive  that, 
having  been  absent  from  a  large  congregation  for  so  long  a  period,  I 
should  find  myself  at  once  overwlielmed  with  care  and  duty,  so  as  to 
find  little  time  for  the  gratification  of  private  feelings. 

We  were  warmly  welcomed  by  our  dear  flock,  and  have  received 
from  them  many  additional  tokens  of  affection.  Within  an  hour  after 
our  arrival,  a  committee  of  the  young  men  waited  upon  me  with  a  most 


ELECTED    SECKETARY    OF    FOREIGN    MISSION    BOARD.    191 

affectionate  letter,  enclosiiij;  a  Ixiiik-note  of  five  liiunlred  (lollars.  A 
kinder  people  no  pastor  ever  had.  O  that  I  may  be  able  to  serve  them 
long  and  faithfully  in  the  gospel  of  God's  dear  Son ! 

I  wrote  you  from  some  place  in  Italy, —  I  believe  from  Rome,  — and, 
as  the  letter  reached  Boston,  I  suppose  you  received  it.  From  that 
place  wc  had  a  long  overland  journey,  of  more  than  a  thousand  miles, 
to  Paris,  which,  although  it  was  considerably  fatiguing,  we  enjoyed  ex- 
ceedingly. We  crossed  the  Alps  the  IGth  of  April,  and,  as  the  snow- 
was  deep  and  the  wind  furious,  we  were  several  times  in  great  danger. 
But  God  conveyed  us  safely  over,  through  scenery  as  wild  and  terrific 
as  can  be  imagined.  At  Geneva  we  rested  a  few  days,  and  there  wor- 
shipped on  the  Sabbath  in  the  church  where  John  Calvin  used  to 
preach. 

In  London  we  attended  the  anniversaries  of  the  great  religious  socie- 
ties. Our  stay  in  Englafid  exceeded  a  month.  Right  glad  were  we  to 
embark  for  home ;  and  in  twelve  days  and  eight  hours  we  traversed 
three  thousand  miles  of  ocean,  and  found  ourselves  once  more  at  home. 
We  have  thus  gone  out  and  returned  in  safety.  We  have  travelled 
more  than  ten  thousand  miles,  and  no  accident  has  befallen  us.  We 
have  had  fewer  comforts  and  more  vexations  than  at  home ;  but,  on  the 
whole,  we  have  enjoyed  the  tour,  and  God  has  rendered  it  highly  bene- 
ficial. I  am  now  in  better  health  than  usual,  and  if  I  can  avoid  exces- 
sive labor,  I  hope  not  to  sink  so  low  again. 

We  have  seen  how  frequently  Mr.  Stow  was  urged  to  leave 
the  post  which,  for  so  many  years,  he  had  filled,  to  occupy 
other  positions  in  the  denomination,  and  hoAV  uniformly  he 
declined  all  these  calls.  The  urgency  of  some  of  these  invi- 
tations will  be  seen  from  the  following  communication,  in- 
forming him  of  his  election  as  one  of  the  corresponding  sec- 
retaries of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  of  the  Baptist  Gen- 
eral Convention:  — 

Baptist  Missionary  Rooms,  Boston,  December  6,  1841. 

Rev.  Baron  Stow.  Dear  Brother :  The  Acting  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  believing,  on  mature  deliberation,  that  the  interests  confided 
to  them  demand  the  services  of  an  additional  corresponding  secretary, 
who  shall  be  specially  charged  with  the  duties  of  the  financial  depart- 
ment, they  have  this  day  elected  you  to  the  office  by  a  unanimous  vote, 
and  have  instructed  the  undersigned  to  communicate  the  same  to  you, 
and  to  the  church  and  society  under  your  pastoral  charge. 

The  committee,  in  fulfilling  this  duty,  refrain  for  the  present  from 


192  MEMOIR    OF    DE.    STOW. 

stating  the  weight^'  considerations  which  have  led  the  Board  to  tender 
to  you  an  appointment  the  acceptance  of  which  involves  a  dissolution 
of  3'our  particular  connections  with  a  people  deservedly  endeared  to 
you,  and  a  discontinuance,  in  great  measure,  of  ministerial  labors,  fur 
which,  we  are  aware,  you  have  cherished  a  peculiar  predilection.  "NVe 
will  merely  say,  that  the  Board  have  endeavored  to  give  due  weight  to 
the  objections  against  the  course  they  have  adopted,  and  we  have  only 
to  request  that,  with  like  simplicity  of  motive,  you  will  give  to  the  sub- 
ject, as  we  believe  you  will,  .all  the  consideration  which  its  great  impor- 
tance claims ;  earnestly  looking  to  the  Great  Head  of  the  church  to 
guide  you  in  the  way  that  he  shall  choose,  and  heartily  submitting  j'our- 
self  to  his  disposal,  to  do  and  sutfer  for  liis  sake,  and  for  the  salvation 
of  those  for  whom  he  died,  whatever  he  shall  appoint  to  you. 
la  behalf  of  the  Board, 

Your  brethren  in  Christ, 

Solomon  Peck, 
Heman  Lincoln. 

To  his  mother. 

Boston,  March  2,  1842. 

The  revival  had  commenced  at  the  First  Church  and  at  Baldwin 
Place  before  Elder  Knapp  began  his  labors,  whicli  was  the  23d  of 
December.  It  has  now  become  quite  extensive  in  the  city  and  vicin- 
it\',  and  is  proceeding  with  astonishing  power.  I  cannot  tell  you  the 
number  of  converts,  even  in  my  own  congregation,  much  less  in  the 
city.  I  have  baptized  seventy-six,  and  many  more  will  follow  in  the 
same  path  of  obedience.  New  converts  are  daily  appearing,  and  my 
hands  are  full  of  labor.  Brother  Knapp  has  labored  in  most  of  the 
churches,  and  his  services  are  in  constant  demand.  Last  Sabbath  one 
hundred  and  nineteen  were  baptized  in  the  several  churches  in  the  city. 
The  converts  may  now  be  numbered  by  hundreds,  and  probably  exceed 
two  thousand.  The  opposition  has  been  great,  but  many  of  the  violent 
opposers  have  been  converted,  and  are  now  laboring  to  promote  the 
conversion  of  others.  The  ministers  are  nearly  worn  down,  yet  the 
Lord  sustains  them,  and  permits  them  to  rejoice  in  the  midst  of  severe 
labors  and  ponderous  responsibilities.  Brother  Ely  was  with  me  nearly 
four  weeks,  and  rendered  me  important  service.  My  health  has  suf- 
fered considerably,  and,  without  futher  assistance,  will  suffer  still  more. 
I  know  I  have  the  prayers  of  my  dear  mother,  that  I  may  be  guided, 
sustained,  and  blessed. 

The  following  is  a  specimen  of  scores  of  similar  letters, 
which  the  faithful  pastor  wrote  during  his  ministry :  — 


A    LOVING    pastor's    PLEA.  193 

To  Mr.  Edward  Cliamberlin. 

February  20,  1843. 

Your  fatlier  was  so  kind  as  to  call  this  morning  and  show  me  the  let- 
ter of  your  sister,  Mrs.  D.,  giving  a  most  interesting  account  of  the 
great  and  gracious  change  which  has  recently  taken  place  in  her  views 
and  feelings.  Such  intelligence  is,  to  me,  peculiarly  refreshing.  In 
this  instance  I  have  felt  that  there  is  special  occasion  for  gratitude,  and 
my  heart  has  poured  out  its  holiest  thanksgivings  at  the  mercy-seat. 
May  I  not  ask  you  to  join  me  in  praises  to  that  rich,  free,  sovereign 
grace  which  has  so  signally  blest  your  family  circle? 

The  letter  contained  an  expression  of  tender  solicitude  for  ••  brother 
Edward."  0,  how  natural!  Having  seen  her  own  guilt  and  peril,  and 
found  in  Christ  the  Saviour  she  needed,  your  sister  looks  back  across 
that  "  gulf  "  which  she  has  safely  passed,  and  longs  for  the  rescue  of 
the  brother  whom  she  loves,  and  whose  feet  she  sees  standing  on  "  slip- 
pery places."  Think  it  not  strange  that  your  pastor  joins  his  entreaties 
with  hers,  and  prays  you  in  "  Christ's  stead  to  be  reconciled  to  God." 
I  have  felt  to-day  that  I  could  not  let  the  opportunity  pass  without  an 
effort,  a  special  effort,  for  your  soul's  salvation.  Shall  it  be  in  vain? 
Do  you  not  feel  that  now,  emphatically  "  now,  is  the  accepted  time  and 
the  day  of  salvation  ?  " 

My  dear  friend,  you  have  tried  the  world,  and  it  has  deceived  you. 
Why  will  you  longer  pursue  its  painted  bubbles,  and  neglect  the  solid 
pleasures  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  ?  Death  has  often  come  into  your 
circle,  and  admonished  you  that  life  is  very  uncertain,  and  that  you 
ouglit  to  be  continually  prepared  for  your  appearance  at  the  tribunal  of 
your  Judge.  How  is  it  that  you  have  been  able  to  resist  such  appeals, 
and  neglect  so  long  this  great  salvation  ?  You  have,  more  than  once, 
had  seasons  of  tenderness,  when  the  truth  seemed  to  make  some  im- 
pression, and  when  your  friends  cherished  fond  hopes  that  you  would 
yield  your  heart  to  the  Saviour,  and  make  sure  of  eternal  life.  By 
what  process  did  you  succeed  in  grieving  away  the  Comforter,  and  dis- 
lodging serious  thoughts,  and  disappointing  the  hopes  of  the  pious? 
Are  you  aware  of  what  you  have  done,  how  much  you  have  displeased 
God  and  injured  yourself  ?  Now  God;  in  mercy,  has  come  near,  very 
near  to  you,  and  uttered  in  your  ear  another  compassionate  call  —  "  My 
son,  give  me  thine  heart."  Shall  it  be  ineffectual?  May  it  not  be  the 
last?  Will  you  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  Heaven's  gracious  appeal,  and  thus 
treasure  up  additional  "wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath?"  O,  no !  I 
feel  a  strong  assurance  that  you  will  not,  that  you  will  now  discontinue 
rebellion,  and  submit  to  Christ,  the  precious  Saviour.  The  Lord  ena- 
ble you  to  decide  for  yourself,  "I  will,  I  will  at  once  seek  my  soul's 
salvation." 

13 


194  MEMOIR    OF    DE.    STOW. 

To  Rev.  Elijah  Ilutcliiuson. 

Boston,  March  8,  1843. 

A  few  days  since  Brother  J.  A.  B.  Stone  called  and  left  your  letter  of 
the  10th  ult.,  from  which,  as  well  as  from  other  sources,  I  learned  with 
regret  that  you  were  laid  aside  again  from  the  work  you  so  dearly  love, 
and  in  which  God  has  made  you  so  useful.  Por  nearly  four  weeks,  the 
inflammation  in  ray  throat  has  been  of  such  a  character  as  to  render  all 
conversation,  except  in  a  low  whisper,  impossible;  and  even  that  is  ex- 
ceedingly painful.  I  see  no  company  except  my  physician  and  those 
who  insist  upon  looking  at  me.  The  affliction  is  a  severe  one  both  to 
myself  and  to  my  people,  especially  at  the  present  time,  when  we  have 
so  recently  returned  to  our  place  of  worship,  and  when  the  labors  of  the 
pastor  are  so  much  needed,  apparently,  to  "  set  in  order  the  things  that 
are  wanting."  But  I  have  found  sweet  consolation  in  the  assurance  that 
Christ  is  infinitely  wise  and  good,  and  that  he  is  doing  all  things  well. 

Yesterday  Rev. called  and  insisted  upon  seeing  me,  as,  he 

said,  God  had  sent  him  tome!  Of  course  I  would  not  refuse  to  see 
such  a  man.  I  sat  in  silence  for  more  than  one  hour,  and  heard  his  ac- 
count of  the  wonderful  exercises  and  impressions  of  which  he  has  recent- 
ly been  the  favored  subject.  I  cannot  doubt  that  he  has  undergone 
some  spiritual  clianges  which  are  for  the  better,  and  which,  were  they 
unmixed  with  extravagant  enthusiasm,  would  render  him  a  holier 
Christian  and  a  more  useful  minister.  According  to  his  own  statement, 
he  has  said  and  done  much  that  I  should  call  foolish  and  inconsistent 
with  Christian  sobriety,  lie  professes  to  have  peculiar  intimacy  with 
God,  who  gives  him  special  revelations  !  He  has  embraced  the  whole 
system  of  Malian's  Perfectionism,  and  Wesley's  too,  for  God  has  told 
him  that  the  doctrine  is  true.  Last  week  God  revealed  to  him  the  cer- 
tainty of  the  speedy  coming  of  Christ,  and  last  Sabbath  he  disclosed  the 
whole  revelation  to  his  people !  He  has  renounced  all  his  books,  and 
says  he  intends  never  to  open  one  of  them  again !  His  direct  converse 
with  God  supersedes  the  study  of  the  Bible,  and  his  preaching  hence- 
forth is  to  consist  of  the  Spirit's  immediate  communications.  "  My  wife 
and  child,"  said  he,  with  a  snap  of  his  fingers,  "  are  now  to  me  no  more 
than  that."  lie  proposes  now  to  become  an  itinerant  lecturer,  pro- 
claiming the  "  midnight  cry."  Let  us  pray  God  that  he  will  restore 
him  to  his  right  mind. 

From  Dr.  B.  T.  Welch. 

Albany,  November  6,  1843. 

Your  truly  acceptable  present  came  to  hand  yesterday.  Many  thanks 
for  your  kindness  in  this  matter  —  you  have  certainly  done  me  a  great 
favor.    The  head  of  Dr.  Baldwin  is  a  treasure.    I  was  under  his  ministry 


LETTER   FROM    DR.  WELCH.  195 

from  infancy  until  I  was  seventeen,  and  so  strong  upon  my  mind  was 
the  impression  of  liis  benevolent  features,  that  to  this  day  his  image  ia 
upon  my  memory  as  distinct  as  if  I  had  yesterday  listened  to  his  faith* 
ful  voice.  The  memory  of  tliat  man  is  dear  to  me,  and  his  portrait  is 
regarded  by  me  as  a  most  valuable  possession. 

You  are  aware,  or,  in  Yankee  phrase,  "  ought  to  be,"  tliat  I  have  ever 
entertained  a  high  estimate  of  your  head,  and  I  assure  you  that  it  is  not 
at  all  diminished  by  the  opportunity  of  carefully  examining  its  phrenolo- 
gical developments,  faitlifuUy  portrayed.  This  is  truly  an  admirable 
lucture,  the  resemblance  accurate,  and  beautifully  executed.  I  regard 
it  as  one  of  the  best,  if  not  the  very  best  work  of  the  kind  that  I  have 
seen.  This  must  be  gratifying  to  all  your  friends,  and  a  little  so  to  you, 
for  when  one's  head  goes  upon  paper,  to  have  it  murdered  outright  "by 
a  botch  at  the  burin  "  is  one  of  the  most  provoking  things  imaginable. 
But  the  artist  has  done  you  justice,  for  which  he  has  my  sincere  thanks 
in  common  with  the  gratitude  of  many  who  will  know  how  to  prize  it. 
Permit  me  to  say,  that  the  favor  is  greatly  enhanced  by  the  accompany- 
ing "Centennial  Discourse,"  your  kindness  not  only  presenting  the 
head,  but  an  interesting  indication  of  its  furniture,  the  "  vraisemblance," 
outside  and  in,  simultaneously.  In  giving  this  little  volume  to  the 
public,  you  have  certainly  done  good  service,  not  only  to  the  church  in 
Baldwin  Place,  but  to  the  entire  denomination.  The  appendix,  not  less 
than  the  discourse  as  a  record  of  interesting  and  important  facts,  is  truly 
valuable.  I  sincerely  wish  for  it  —  what  it  richly  merits  —  an  extensive 
circulation,  and  especially  in  our  churches,  and  pray  that  the  favor  of 
the  Great  Head  of  the  church  may  rest  upon  it  and  its  author.  How 
grateful  should  you  be,  my  brother,  for  the  ability  to  "  wield  the  pen" 
with  success !  When  dead  you  can  yet  speak,  honor  your  Master, 
vindicate  and  advance  his  cause.  But  as  for  me,  it  is  little  good  I  can 
do  while  living;  and  "when  this  lisping,  stammering  tongue  lies  silent 
in  the  grave,"  there  is  an  end  of  me  and  of  all  my  influence  and  useful- 
ness. Most  bitterly  do  I  lament  the  want  of  early  discipline,  and  the 
mental  poverty  of  which  I  am  the  subject,  the  utter  and  miserable  blank 
in  the  first  thirty  years  of  ray  life.  Regrets  are  now  useless ;  time  can- 
not be  recalled ;  and  moreover  I  am  gettin_g  prosy  and  taxing  your 
patience. 

To  Mrs.  C.  R.  Emery. 

Boston,  June  15,  1844. 

I  had  heard  of  your  affliction,  and  determined  to  address  you  a  line 
expressive  of  my  heart's  deep  sympathy.  I  need  not  tell  you  where  to 
go  for  consolation,  for  you  have  long  known  the  fountain  of  true  com- 
fort, and  the  path  to  it  has  been  often  trod  by  your  feet.   But  I  may  say, 


196  MEMOIR    OF   DR.    STOW. 

that  in  your  former  pastor  you  liave  a  friend  and  brother,  who  would 
gladly  alleviate  your  sorrows  by  any  means  in  his  power.  I  rejoice  to 
find  that  you  entertain  right  views  of  the  dispensation  under  which  you 
suffer,  and  that  you  bow  submissively  under  the  chastening  rod  of  your 
gracious  and  faithful  Father.  Let  it  be  your  concern,  my  dear  sister, 
as  it  shall  be  my  prayer,  that  this  trial  may  contribute  largely  to  your 
increased  sanctification.  Open  your  whole  soul  to  its  influence,  and 
allow  it  to  work  out  your  more  complete  emancipation  from  sin,  and 
your  preparation  fur  the  glories  of  heaven. 


CALLED  TO  THE  PEESIDENCY  OF  GKANVILLE  COLLEGE.   197 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

Call  to  the  Presidency  of  Granville  College,  Ohio. — Dis- 
couragements AT  Baldwin  Place.  —  Call  to  the  Ninth  Street 
Church,  Cincinnati.  —  Advice  of  Dr.  Sharp.  —  Letter  of 
Rev.  John  Stevens.  —  Embarrassments  of  the  Foreign  Mission 
Board —  Correspondence. 

1845-1846. 

Early  in  the  year  1845  Mr.  Stow  was  again  called  upon 
to  decide  the  question  so  often  presented  to  him,  whether  he 
•would  continue  his  relation  with  the  Baldwin  Place  Church, 
or  enter  upon  another  sphere  of  duty.  According  to  the  ordi- 
nary methods  of  deciding  as  to  what  are  the  plain  indications 
of  Providence,  yve  see  not  how  he  could  well  resist  the  con- 
viction that  he  was  specially  called  to  be  the  jDrosident  of 
some  seat  of  learning.  We  have  seen  that  in  the  east,  Water- 
ville  had  again  and  again  stretched  out  her  hand  and  endeav- 
ored to  draw  him  away  from  his  beloved  flock  and  home  in 
Boston.  Now,  the  west  beckons  him  away  from  New  Eng- 
land, and  urges  him  to  accept  the  i^i'^sidency  of  Granville 
College,  Ohio.  While  he  felt  honored  by  the  nomination,  and 
treated  it  respectfully,  he  decided,  as  in  other  similar  cases, 
to  decline  it.  He  believed  then,  and  cherished  the  belief 
to  the  day  of  his  death,  that  for  him,  with  his  peculiar 
tastes  and  long-cherished  associations,  no  situation  any- 
where would  present  such  attractions  as  the  pastorate  of  a 
church  in  Boston.  To  the  last  he  continued  to  be  warmly 
attached  to  the  home  of  his  adoption,  and  resisted  every  invi- 
tation which  called  him  away  from  it.  And  so  far  as  his  per- 
sonal residence  was  concerned,  it  continued  to  be  his  home 


198  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

till  God  took  him  to  "  the  house  not  made  with  hands,  elei^ 
nal,  and  in  the  heavens." 

After  what  the  readers  of  this  Memoir  have  learned  from 
its  pages,  it  is  needless  to  say  that  his  most  hearty  sympa* 
thies  were  enlisted  in  the  cause  of  foreign  missions.  The  an- 
nual meeting  of  the  Board  in  1845  found  the  treasury  sadly 
crippled  on  account  of  a  heavy  debt,  which,  in  the  prosecution 
of  their  legitimate  work,  the  Convention  had  contracted.  Dr. 
Sears  and  himself  were  appointed  as  special  agents  to  en- 
deavor to  raise  funds  for  the  liquidation  of  this  debt.  To- 
gether they  went  to  Hartford  for  this  purpose,  and  he  alludes, 
in  grateful  language,  to  the  success  which  attended  their  joint 
effort.  "  In  every  application  thus  far  we  have  been  success- 
ful.    Providence  has  favored  us  in  a  peculiar  manner." 

Amid  all  these  varied  labors,  the  conviction  was  constantly 
gaining  hold  of  his  mind  that  his  work  at  Baldwin  Place  was 
drawing  to  a  close.  He  was  beginning  to  feel  the  influence 
of  the  tide  of  emigration  which  was  drawing  away  the  native, 
Protestant  jjopulation  from  the  north-east  section  of  the  city. 
As  is  well  known,  the  final  result  was  the  change  of  the 
location  of  the  place  of  worship,  many  years  after  he  ceased 
to  be  the  pastor,  to  its  jiresent  site  on  Warren  Avenue. 
Already  very  heavy  drafts  had  been  made  upon  the  member- 
ship of  the  church  by  the  formation  of  other  churches.  Some 
of  the  pastor's  warmest  and  most  reliable  supporters  had  re- 
moved their  church  relations.  There  were,  moreover,  some 
trials  through  which  he  was  called  to  pass,  not  unusual  in- 
deed, in  the  experience  of  almost  every  fiiithful  minister, 
which  weighed  heavily  on  his  sensitive  spirit.  Enough  has 
been  said  in  the  preceding  j^ages  to  show  that  his  peculiarly 
delicate  and  refined  nature  led  him  to  shrink  from  everything 
which  came  not  up  to  his  lofty  ideal  of  the  Christian  charac- 
ter. Although  he  supposed  he  had  made  a  final  disposition 
of  the  call  to  Granville  College,  w^e  find  him  still  brooding 
over  the  matter,  questioning  whether,  after  all,  it  may  not  be 
the  path  which  Providence  is  opening  before  him  to  lead  him 
out  of  the  difficulties  which  are  depressing  him  so  much. 


OLL    TO    THE    NINTH    STREET    CHURCH,  CINCINNATI.        199 

On  tlic  lotli  of  October,  Dr.  Jiulson  arrived  in  Boston  with 
his  three  cliiUh-en,  and  for  tliree  weeks  they  were  tlie  guests 
of  Mr.  Stow ;  and  he  dwells  upon  the  pleasure  which  he  feels- 
in  contributing  to  the  comfort  of  one  who  had  been  so  hon-^ 
ored  of  God  in  the  work  of  giving  the  gospel  to  the  heathen. 

Again  another  call.  Under  date  of  November  9,  he  alludes 
to  the  reception  of  three  letters  from  Cincinnati,  one  from  a 
committee  of  the  Ninth  Street  Baptist  Church,  inviting  him 
to  the  pastoral  office,  and  two  from  Baptist  ministers,  urging 
him  to  accept  the  call.  It  was  an  urgent  plea  which  these 
brethren  presented,  and  the  invitation  was  extended  wath  true 
western  heartiness.  The  church  occupied  an  important  posi- 
tion, and  it  naturally  felt  that  it  had  a  right  "  to  covet  ear- 
nestly the  best  gifts."  We  give  some  extracts  from  a  letter 
which  was  wa-itten  by  Dr.  Sharp  in  reply  to  one  addressed  to 
him  by  Mr.  Stow,  Avho  had  sought  counsel  from  one  to  whom  he 
was  tenderly  attached,  and  in  wdiose  judgnient  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  place  so  much  confidence. 

Boston,  November  C,  1845. 

My  dear  Brotiiek  :  I  trust  you  will  never  hesitate  for  a  moment  to 
write  to  me,  or  to  call  on  me  personally  on  any  subject  which  may  affect 
your  duty,  your  usefulness,  or  your  happiness.  I  hope  that  I  have  yet 
left  to  me  a  heart  to  sympathize  and  a  readiness  to  give  the  result  of 
my  own  observation,  experience,  and  reflection,  when  there  is  a  proba- 
bility that  either  will  be  acceptable,  or  do  good. 

I  confess  that  you  have  set  me  a  difficult  task.  Had  you  proposed 
one  inquiry,  instead  of  three,  I  should  have  experienced  less  hesitation 
in  answering  you.  To  have  three  places  presented  to  your  considera- 
tion for  acceptance,  and  all  so  important,  may  well  perplex  you.  It 
perplexes  me  to  give  you  just  such  advice  as  it  may  be  wise  and  best 
for  you  to  take. 

In  regard  to  your  own  people,  you  have  no  just  cause  for  despon- 
dency. So  far  as  my  own  personal  feelings  are  concerned,  I  could  wish. 
that  you  miglit  live  and  die  their  pastor,  as  I  intend  to  live  and  die  the 
pastor  of  the  clmrcli  in  Charles  Street.  Where  can  your  people  find  a 
man  who  will  fill  your  place?  Still  I  do  not  see  that  it  is  your  impera- 
tive duty  to  remain. 

In  regard  to  the  west,  I  have  not  the  least  doubt  that,  in  either  of 
the  stations  which  are  offered  you,  were  you  to  go,  as  Fishback  onca- 


200  MEMOIR    OF   DR.    STOW. 

said  of  himself,  you  would  "  do  a  heap  of  good."  But  the  change  from 
eastern  to  western  society  would  be  exceedingly  great.  T  fear  that  at 
Granville  you  would  be  loaded  with  cares  and  perplexing  responsibili- 
ties unfavorable  to  the  heart  disease,  to  which  you  are  liable.  I  should 
rather  see  you  connected  with  an  institution,  if  connected  at  all  with 
one  of  that  sort,  where  you  would  not  have  to  be  steward,  and  agent, 
and  general  purveyor,  as,  I  suppose,  Dr.  Going  was.  Perhaps  it  is  now 
placed  above  such  necessities.  As  pastor  of  the  church  in  Cincinnati, 
you  would  occupy  a  very  important  and  conspicuous  station.  You  would, 
in  many  respects,  if  not  in  all,  without  seeking  it,  be  at  the  head  of  the 
Baptist  ministry  at  the  west.  Still,  I  fear  that  your  delicacj',  and  sus- 
ceptibility, and  modesty  would  be  in  the  way  of  your  happiness.  There 
is  more  of  the  rough-and-tumble  and  jostling  against  one  another  in 
western  hianncrs,  if  I  have  judged  rightly,  than  would  suit  your  com- 
fort. They  say  very  hard  things  to  one  another  in  public,  which 
would  not  suit  your  taste.  If  you  were  knocked  down,  you  would  not 
get  up  and  knock  your  brother  down,  and  then  go  home  and  laugh  at  it. 
All  this  would  give  you  the  nervous  headache  —  nay,  you  would  have 
the  heartache.  For  one,  I  confess  I  think  you  would  be  happier,  and 
probably  as  useful,  in  your  present  position  as  in  either  of  the  two  at  the 
west.  And  yet,  if  you  went  to  either  place,  I  have  no  doubt  (if  God 
spared  your  life  and  granted  you  health)  but  that  you  would  do  much, 
great  good.  The  turning-points  for  you  to  decide  in  regard  to  the 
west  are,  in  my  judgment,  personal  considerations,  rather  than  gen- 
eral usefulness.  Of  the  latter  I  have  no  question. 
I  am,  truly  yours, 

Daniel  Sharp. 

To  comi:)lete  the  narrative  of  the  facts  connected  with  the 
call  to  Cincinnati,  we  anticipate  a  little  the  course  of  events. 
Influenced  by  the  considerations  presented  by  Dr.  Sharp,  and 
by  others  which  seemed  to  be  of  Aveigltt  in  his  own  naind,  he 
decided  to  decline  the  call.  He  remarks,  however,  a  few 
days  after  he  sent  his  letter  of  declination,  "  I  have  received 
a  letter  from  a  brother  in  Cincinnati,  saying  my  negative 
reply  is  not  to  be  received  as  final,  and  that  further  efibrt  will 
be  made  to  effect  my  removal.  So  I  am  again  to  be  disturbed 
with  a  question  I  regarded  as  settled.  What  shall  I  do?  O 
Lord,  give  me  wisdom,  give  me  humility.  Point  out  plainly 
my  path  of  duty,  and  enable  me  to  ascertain  and  do  thy  will." 

As  an  evidence  of  the  pertinacity  and  the  earnestness  with 


LETTER   FROM   REV.   JOIIX    STEVENS.  201 

wliich  tlic  cliurcli  at  Cincinnati  urged  their  suit,  it  may  not  be 
out  of  place  to  give  some  extracts  from  a  letter  written  by 
Rev.  John  Stevens,  who,  witli  two  otiiers,  was  appointed  to 
confer  with  him  on  the  subject. 

Cincinnati,  O.,  February  IS,  184G. 

Kev.  Baron  Stow.  Dear  Brother:  The  Ninth  Street  Baptist  Church 
in  this  city  still  have  their  hopes  fixed  on  you  as  their  future  pastor. 
We  know  not  where  else  to  look.  The  church  have,  by  a  unanimous, 
hf  arty  vote,  at  tiic  close  of  a  day  of  solemn  prayer  in  reference  to  this 
subject,  repeated  their  invitation.  We  hope  you  will  find  cause  to  re- 
consider your  former  decision.  We  sincerely  hope  for  and  earnestly 
desire  your  acceptance.  On  what  do  we  rest  this  hope  and  desire? 
On  our  belief  that  you  combine  the  various  qualifications  necessary  for 
this  post  in  a  higher  anr\  happier  degree  than  any  other  individual  with- 
in our  knowledge,  and  on  our  view  of  the  vast  importance  to  the  cause 
of  Christ  at  large  of  this  station  being  adequately  filled. 

As  it  regards  the  first  point,  we  need  only  refer  to  the  invitation  we 
have  given  and  repeated,  and  to  the  measures  we  take  to  lay  our  case 
fully  and  fairly  before  you. 

As  to  the  second,  —  the  importance  of  the  situation,  —  it  needs,  in 
order  to  be  justly  appreciated,  to  be  viewed  in  detail,  both  as  to  its 
intrinsic  character  and  in  its  relations  to  the  general  interests  of  the 
liedeemer's  cause. 

First,  as  to  the  church  itself. 

The  writer  here  refers  to  the  house  of  worship,  its  favora- 
ble location,  the  rentage  of  the  pews,  the  number  of  members 
belonging  to  the  church,  its  high  rank  among  the  best  Prot- 
estant churches  in  the  city,  and  says,  — 

Viewing  the  church  by  itself,  in  its  present  and  prospective  character, 
we  think  we  cannot  be  mistaken  in  the  opinion  that  it  affords  a  mere 
eligible  sphere  of  usefulness  for  a  pastor  than  any  other  Baptist  churca 
on  this  side  of  the  mountains.  For  its  own  sake,  then,  —  that  is,  for  the 
sake  of  those  who  compose  the  body,  church,  and  congregation,  —  it  is 
eminently  eligible  as  a  sphere  of  pastoral  labor.  We  know  not  the 
Baptist  pulpit  where  the  persons  coming  under  the  direct  influence  of 
iis  ministrations  will  be  more  numerous  or  influential.  Come,  then,  and 
live  with  us.  We  pledge  you  an  ample  support.  Come,  preside  over 
us,  and  lead  us  on  in  the  Master's  service.  We  trust  there  will  not  be 
wanting  those  who  will  follow  you,  as  you  follow  the  Great  Leader. 
The    foundation   has   been   laid.     There    is    ample    room.      Material 


202  MEMOIR    OF    DK.    STOW. 

abounds.     Come,  enlarge  and  adorn  this  palace  for  God,  and  make  it  a 
model  throughout  this  valley. 

A  modest  man,  like  the  subject  of  this  Memoir,  might  well 
suppose,  from  the  glowing  description  thus  given,  that  the 
pastor  of  a  church  of  four  hundred  members,  in  a  populous 
community,  with  every  prospect  of  reaping  a  large  harvest 
from  the  seeds  which  he  might  scatter  broadcast,  would  have 
his  head,  his  heart,  and  his  hands  full  to  overflowing,  if  he 
conscientiously  devoted  himself  with  a  single  eye  to  the  spe- 
cial and  exclusive  work  of  a  pastor.  But  what  were  sup- 
posed to  be  other  most  desirable  features  in  the  position  to 
which  he  was  so  urgently  called,  were  not  overlooked,  and 
Brother  Stevens  proceeds  to  speak, — 

Secondly,  of  the  relations  of  the  church  to  the  cause  at  large.  While 
acknowledging  that,  looking  at  the  church  of  which  he  is  now  pastor, 
and  the  one  to  which  he  is  invited,  the  scale  might  turn  in  favor  of 
remaining  where  he  is,  yet,  viewing  the  relative  positions  of  the  two 
churches,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  tlie  writer  thinks,  what  tlie  decision  . 
should  be. 

Returning  to  the  order  of  our  narrative,  we  remark,  that  at 
this  period  now  under  consideration,  the  Baptist  General 
Convention  was  passinfj  through  great  trials.  While  a 
good  measure  of  prosperity  was  attending  its  missionary 
operations  abroad,  and  the  blessing  of  Heaven  was  evidently 
resting  upon  the  work  which  it  had  undertaken  to  accomplish, 
its  treasury  was  greatly  embarrassed  for  want,  of  funds. 
Two  principal  causes  led  to  this  embarrassment.  One  was 
the  unprecedented  financial  troubles  which  had  spread  over 
all  parts  of  the  country,  thus  curtailing  very  largely  tlie 
income  of  those  who  had  been  accustomed  to  contribute  to 
the  cause  of  missions.  The  other  was  the  dilHculties  which 
grew  out  of  the  discussion  of  questions  connected  with  the 
system  of  domestic  slavery.  Without  wishing  to  revive  the 
unhappy  feelings  and  the  bitter  dissensions  Avhich,  we  trust, 
have  been  buried  beneath  the  sea  of  blood  which  was  poured 
out  in  our  late  civil  strife,  fidelity  to  the  truth,  and  a  just 


EMBARRASSMENTS    OF    THE    FOREIGN    MISSION    BOARD.       203 

presentation  of  the  cliaracter  of  the  suhject  of  tliis  Memoir, 
demand  the  recital  of  some  of  the  facts  whicli  make  tlie 
period  now  passing  under  review  one  of  tlie  most  memorable 
in  the  history  of  our  foreign  missions.  Not  a  few  sincere 
lovers  of  the  cause  felt  that  they  could  no  longer  give  to  it 
their  charities,  if  its  support  must  be  maintained  by  the  prod- 
ucts of  slave  labor.  Accordingly  they  Avithdrew  their  con- 
tributions from  the  treasury  of  the  General  Convention. 
The  causes  referred  to,  and  others,  which  we  need  not  stop 
to  enumerate,  had  served  to  increase  the  indebtedness  of  the 
Convention  to  the  amount  of  forty  thousand  dollars.  Hith- 
erto its  financial  credit  has  been  of  the  highest  character. 

In  the  transaction  of  its  business  with  foreign  bankers  it 
had  met  every  obligation  at  maturity,  and  such  perfect  confi- 
dence was  placed  in  its  integrity,  and  the  moral  certainty  that 
every  liability  would  be  met,  that  it  had  no  serious  difficulty 
in  raising  any  reasonable  amount  which  it  needed  to  meet  its 
emergencies.  But  to  maintain  this  financial  credit  required 
guarantees,  which,  while  they  were  cheerfully  given  by  certain 
warm  friends  of  the  cause,  ought  no  longer  to  be  expected. 
When  the  debt  had  reached  what,  in  those  days,  was  regarded 
as  the  very  large  sum  of  forty  thousand  dollars,  men  of  cau- 
tion and  prudence  began  to  be  anxious,  and  to  inquire,  What 
will  be  the  end  of  all  this  plunging  deeper  and  deeper  into 
financial  embarrassment?  It  would  not  do,  in  a  blind  and 
unreasoning  way,  to  say  that  there  must  be  fiiith  in  the  God 
of  missions.  Under  the  present  circumstances,  most  emphati- 
cally "faith  without  works  was  dead."  In  the  midst  of  all 
these  embarrassments,  and  as  if  to  comj^licate  the  difliculties 
tenfold,  there  came  to  the  Board  the  fiimous  Alabama  Resolu- 
tions, sent  by  the  Baptist  Convention  of  that  state.  These 
resolutions  called  for  an  explicit  answer  to  the  question 
whether  the  Board  would  or  would  not  appoint  as  missionaries 
those  who  were  actual  holders  of  slaves.  Brought  face  to 
face  with  the  system  of  domestic  slavery,  and  called  upon 
thus  peremptorily  to  say  what  they  would  do  in  the  supposed 
emergency,  the  Board  did  not  long  hesitate  what  answer  to 


204  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

give  to  the  inquiry  thus  put  to  them.  Their  reply  was,  that 
"  if  any  one  should  offer  himself  as  a  missionary,  having  slaves, 
and  should  insist  on  retaining  them  as  his  property,  they  could 
not  a])point  him."  It  Avas  understood  that  this  reply  was 
given,  not  because  it  was  suggested  by  prudential  reasons, 
but  because  slavery  was  regarded  as  a  wrong  which  ought  not 
to  be  sanctioned.  The  Board  would  not  consent  to  make  it- 
self in  any  way  jxrrticeps  criminis  in  this  matter  of  human 
bondage.  It  might  alienate  the  affections  and  lose  the  pecu- 
niary support  of  some  of  the  earliest  and  warmest  supporters 
of  the  cause  of  foreign  missions,  but  it  must  be  true  to  its 
honest  convictions  of  duty.  Such  was  the  stand  taken,  not 
merely  by  men  who  were  known  by  way  of  distinction  as 
"  abolitionists,"  like  Dr.  Colver,  but  by  men  who  had  been  as- 
sailed as  too  conservative,  like  Dr.  Sharp.  Of  course  the  con- 
sequences of  the  step  taken  were  not  overlooked,  and  many 
were  the  anxieties  as  to  the  methods  which  were  to  be  re- 
sorted to  that  the  Convention  might  extricate  itself  from  its 
financial  troubles. 

Mr.  Stow  was  deeply  interested  in  all  these  movements. 
How  much  he  felt  about  the  debt  we  have  already  noticed, 
and  what  personal  effort  he  put  forth,  in  connection  with  Dr. 
Sears,  to  have  it  removed,  he  has  himself  told  us.  An  extra 
session  of  the  General  Convention  was  called,  "  to  be  held  in 
the  Baptist  Tabernacle  in  the  City  of  New  York,  on  the 
third  Wednesday  of  November,  at  ten  o'clock  A.  M."  Mr. 
Stow  thus  writes  about  this  meeting :  "  November  17.  This 
evening  I  leave  for  New  York,  to  attend  an  extra  session  of 
the  Baptist  General  Convention.  My  fears  as  to  the  result 
are  many.  Lord,  interpose,  and  make  the  north  united  in 
the  work  of  foreign  missions."  Leaving  his  home  that  even- 
ing, he  reached  New  York  the  next  morning.  He  will  tell 
us  something,  a  few  pages  farther  on,  about  the  meeting  at 
the  Tabernacle. 

Additional  interest  was  given  to  this  meeting  from  the 
circumstance  that  Dr.  Judson  was  present,  and  received  the 
warm  conirratulations  of  those  who  loved  him  for  his  work's 


DR.  JUDSON    IN    NEW    YORK.  205 

sake,  and  as  one  "  bearing  in  his  boily  tlie  marks  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ."  Introduced  to  the  Convention  by  Dr.  Cone, 
in  his  own  matchless,  inimitable  manner,  at  the  time  when  he 
was  in  the  zenith  of  his  power  as  an  eloquent  speaker,  he  was 
■welcomed  by  the  president.  Dr.  Wayland,  "  in  an  address," 
says  Professor  Gammell,  "  of  great  eloquence  and  beauty,  to 
which,  with  a  feeble  voice,  he  made  a  brief  but  touching  re- 
sponse. The  scene  was  one  of  subduing  interest,  and  will 
never  be  forgotten  by  those  who  beheld  it.  Hundreds  were 
gazing,  for  the  first  time,  upon  one,  the  story  of  whose  labors, 
anil  sorrows,  and  suiferings  had  been  familiar  to  them  from 
childhood,  and  whose  name  they  had  been  accustomed  to 
utter  with  reverence  and  affection,  as  that  of  the  j^ioneer  and 
fother  of  American  missions  to  the  heathen.  They  recalled 
the  scenes  of  toil  and  privation  through  which  he  had  passed; 
they  remembered  the  loved  ones  with  whom  he  had  been 
connected,  and  their  bosoms  swelled  with  inexpressible  emo- 
tions of  gratitude  and  delight." 

The  Convention,  however,  had  come  together  not  merely 
to  enjoy  this  meeting  with  its  earliest  and  most  revered  mis- 
sionary, and  to  indulge  in  the  elevated  emotions  which  were 
so  befitting  the  occasion.  There  was  serious  businejis  to  be 
transacted.  The  secession  of  the  southern  Baptists,  and  the 
acknowledged  defects  which  the  results  of  a  thirty  years'  ex- 
perience in  the  workings  of  our  missionary  organization  had 
revealed,  made  it  necessary  that  there  should  be  an  entire 
reconstruction  of  the  society.  Mr.  Stow  has  left  on  record, 
in  his  own  modest  Avay,  the  part  which  he  performed  in  this 
most  important  work.     He  tells  us  that  — 

In  1845,  after  the  disruption  of  the  General  Convention  b}'  tlie  seces- 
sion of  the  southern  wing,  a  committee  of  nine,  of  wiiich  Dr.  Wayhind 
was  one,  was  appointed  to  prepare  a  new  constitution  for  tlie  body,  to 
be  submitted  at  a  special  session.  As  the  members  of  tlie  committee 
were  widely  scattered,  and  could  not  conveniently  meet,  it  was  agreed 
that  Dr.  Cone  should  draw  up  one,  and  Dr.  Wayland  another,  and  that 
a  Boston  member  should,  as  secretary,  construct  one  out  of  the  two  for 
final  consideration.     The  two  forms  prepared  by  Drs.  Cone  and  Way- 


206  MEMOIR    OF   DE.    STOW. 

l.ind,  and  tlieir  letters  to  the  secretary,  are  now  in  my  possession,  and 
contain  materials  for  a  chapter,  showing  an  equal  fervor  of  interest  in 
the  missionary  enterprise,  but  a  wide  diversity  of  opinions  as  to  the 
shape  of  the  organization  for  carrying  it  forward,  the  views  of  Dr.  Cone 
being  eminently  democratic,  those  of  Dr.  Wayland  insisting  on  greater 
power  in  the  executive  agency.  As  the  instrument  was  finally  adopted, 
—  and  we  understand  that  the  secretary's  careful  hand  of  revision  had 
passed  over  it,  —  it  embraced  all  that  Dr.  Wayland  regarded  as  essential 
in  preserving  the  organization  from  harm  by  any  sudden  irruptions  of 
popular  excitement.  In  the  compromise  effected  between  Drs.  Cone 
and  Wayland  on  tliat  occasion,  there  was  a  beautiful  exliibition  of  their 
strong  points  uf  Christian  character. 

The  above  we  find  in  the  second  volume  of  the  Memoh's 
of  Dr.  Wayland.  The  following  is  the  record  in  Mr.  Stow's 
journal :  — 

November  IS.  Arrived  here  (New  York)  this  morning,  and  went 
with  Dr.  Sears  to  Mr.  G.  N.  Bleekcr's,  58  Henry  Street,  where  we  have 
a  delightful  home.  At  ten,  met  the  committee  on  the  constitution  at 
the  Bible  Rooms,  350  Broome  Street.  After  a  laborious  session  of 
nearly  nine  hours,  we  agreed,  unanimously,  on  a  draft  to  be  submitted 
to  the  Convention.  This  is  the  first  ray  of  light  that  has  pierced  our 
dense  darkness.     May  it  be  the  presage  of  a  full  day. 

November  22.  The  meeting  of  the  Convention  has  been  one  of  the 
most  remarkable.  The  constitution  was  adopted  unanimously,  and 
nearly  sixteen  thousand  dollars,  in  sums  of  one  hundred  dollars  each, 
wei-e  raised.  Thus  the  debt  of  forty  thousand  dollars  is  provided  for, 
and  arrangements  are  made  for  the  enlargement  of  our  operations. 
"  What  hath  God  wrought !  "  All  are  amazed  at  the  result.  Such  a 
meeting  I  never  anticipated  this  side  of  heaven.  O  that  we  may  be 
humble  before  God,  and  henceforth  trust  him  with  our  whole  hearts! 
He  has  done  great  things  for  us.     May  we  never  cease  to  be  grateful. 

Dr.  Wayland,  Maiting  to  Mr.  Stow  under  date  of  Novem« 
ber  23,  says,  "  We  are  all  filled  with  wonder  at  the  deliver- 
ances of  the  past  Aveek.  May  we  all  love  and  serve  him  bet« 
ter  in  future." 

The  following  correspondence  may  properly  be  introduced 
at  this  point.     The  letters  were  all  written  to  Dr.  Cone. 


CONSTITUTION    OF    TUK    MISSIONARY    UNION.  207 

Boston,  October  1,  1845. 

Much  esteemed  Brother:  Yours  of  the  29tli  ultimo  came  to  hand 
yesterday.  Tlie  draft  of  a  constitution  was  at  once  hiid  before  Brotliers 
Lincohi  and  Fletcher.  The  former  is  in  such  a  state  of  mental  suffer- 
ing, occasioned  by  the  condition  of  the  treasury  and  the  approliension  of 
his  own  pecuniary  ruin,  that  he  is  hardly  qualified  to  render  us  much 
service.  Mr.  Fletciior  remarked,  "  Well,  this  looks  something  like  a 
constitution,"  and  then  gave  utterance  to  his  earnest  wonder  that  wise 
men  should  so  long  have  consented  to  do  business  under  the  old  system. 
Some  few  alterations  and  additions  were  agreed  upon,  and  to-morrow, 
if  the  Lord  permits,  I  shall  go  to  Providence,  and  lay  the  whole  before 
Dr.  Wayland. 

The  only  points  of  importance,  with  respect  to  which  we  suggest 
changes  or  additions,  are  two. 

1.  The  name.  We  should  prefer  the  American  Baptist  Association  for 
Foreign  Missions.  Lewis  Tappan  &  Co.  have  a  Foreign  Mission  Union. 
Besides,  "  Association  "  is  a  name  familiar  and  dear  to  Baptists. 

2.  The  introduction  of  an  article  creating  honorary  life  members  of 
the  board  of  managers,  with  power  to  attend  the  meetings  of  the  board, 
to  discuss  all  questions,  but  to  vote  on  none. 

I  mention  these  points  in  anticipation,  that  you  may  reflect  upon 
them. 

Allow  me  to  say  that  I  am  highly  gratified  with  your  plan  as  a  whole, 
and  believe  it  will  unite  those  who  have  any  heart  to  unite  together  in 
the  blessed  enterprise.  There  may  be  spirits  who  will  endeavor  to  in- 
troduce restrictive  elements ;  but  you  may  be  assured  that  our  leading 
New  England  brethren  desire  nothing  of  the  kind,  and  will  stand  with 
you  in  resisting  everything  that  is  not  broadly  catholic.  We  wish  for 
an  organization  on  a  purely  missionary  basis,  and  nothing  else. 

My  dear  brother,  cannot  the  subscription  in  your  city,  for  the  extin- 
guishing of  the  forty-thousand-dollar  debt,  be  hastened  to  a  favorable 
consummation?  On  the  1st  of  September  we  provided  temporarily 
for  fifteen  thousand  dollars  of  the  amount.  In  about  six  weeks  another 
large  portion  must  be  provided  for.  Were  the  whole  amount  subscribed, 
we  could  at  once  collect  all  that  we  shall  then  need.  The  treasurer  is 
nearly  crushed  under  his  burdens,  and  unless  something  is  speedily 
done  for  his  relief,  he  will  sink,  I  fear,  beyond  recovery.  Pardon  me 
for  these  suggestions. 

In  great  haste,  I  am,  as  ever, 

Yours,  with  aflfectionate  esteem, 

Baron  Stow. 

Rev.  S.  11.  Cone. 


208  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

Boston,  October  H,  1845. 

Eeverend  AND  DEAR  Sir  :  Accompanying  this  I  send  you  our  draft 
of  a  constitution.  I  regret  that  it  has  so  long  been  delayed.  We  have 
separately  and  jointly  spent  much  time  upon  it.  I  have  transcribed  it 
seven  times. 

You  will  perceive  that  we  have  retained  some  features  that  distin- 
guish our  present  plan. 

1.  We  provide  for  a  convention  of  life  members,  with  limited  powers 
and  responsibilities. 

2.  A  large  board  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a  proper  supervision 
and  extending  an  interest. 

3.  A  small  executive  committee,  with  powers  accurately  defined,  and 
responsible  to  the  board. 

Our  object  has  been  to  combine  the  popular  and  the  conservative  ele- 
ments, and  interpose  such  checks  and  balances  as  shall  insure  safety  in 
the  action  of  the  machinery. 

We  hope  the  other  members  of  the  committee  will  be  able  to  give  it 
a  thorough  examination. 

Dr.  Wayland  will  probably  write  you,  or  Dr.  Williams,  more  fully 
on  the  subject. 

Mr.  Fletcher  has  given  much  attention  to  tliis  business,  and  rendered 
us  essential  aid. 

Deacon  Lincoln  is  nearly  crushed  under  his  burdens,  and  must  soon 
have  relief.     We  hope  soon   to  hear  favorable  news  from  New  York, 
showing  tliat  the  forty-thousand-dollar  debt  will  le  i^aid. 
With  true  esteem. 

Your  brother  in  Christ, 

.    .  Bakon  Stow. 

Rev.  Dr.  Cone,  New  York. 

Boston,  October  15,  1845. 

My  dear  Brother  :  I  wrote  you  yesterday,  forwarding  the  draft  of 
a  constitution. 

This  morning  our  beloved  Brother  Judson  and  three  children  arrived 
in  the  Sophia  Walker,  Captain  Codman. 

When  at  the  Isle  of  Franco,  Mrs.  Judson  appeared  to  be  so  much  bet- 
ter that  he  thought  it  best  to  send  back  his  Burman  assistant,  and  pro- 
ceed to  tlie  United  States,  for  the  purpose  of  only  a  brief  visit.  But 
tliey  had  scarcely  left  when  Mrs.  J.  was  again  taken  quite  ill.  Leaving 
the  Paragon,  in  which  they  sailed  from  Maulmain  for  England,  they 
took  passage  in  the  Sophia  Walker  direct  for  Boston.  While  at  St. 
Helena  Mrs.  Judson  died.  She  was  interred  the  same  day,  Septem- 
ber 1. 


CONSTITUTION    OF    TUE   MISSIONARY    UNION.  209 

Brother  Judson's  general  healtli  is  quite  good,  but  his  voice,  owing  to 
a  bronchial  affection,  is  feeble.  lie  is  now  at  my  house,  where  he  will 
remain  a  few  days,  and  joins  in  Christian  assurances  to  yourself  and 
family. 

In  much  haste, 

Yours,  fraternally. 

Baron  Stow. 
Rev.  Dr.  Cone,  New  York. 

Boston,  October  22,  1845, 

Mt  dear  Brother  :  Your  favor  of  the  20th  came  to  hand  this  morning. 
Mr.  Lincoln  I  have  not  been  able  to  see.  I  read  it  to  Mr.  Fletcher,  and 
then  enclosed  it  to  Dr.  Wayland. 

I  am  not  aware  tiiat  the  New  England  members  of  the  committee  are 
determined  to  adhere  to  their  plan.  They  thought  it  best  to  make  out  a 
draft  in  accordance  with  their  olen  views,  and  submit  the  same  for  tlie 
consideration  of  the  other  members.  We  devoted  to  it  much  time  and 
thought,  and  we  feel  a  strong  confidence  that,  if  it  should  be  adopted, 
the  plan  would  work  well. 

As  it  regards  the  word  "Convention"  in  the  name,  we  of  course 
shall  not  be  tenacious.  The  term  has  been  ours  for  more  than  thirty 
years,  and  it  certainly  will  be  no  infringement  of  the  rxyhts  of  our 
southern  brethren  if  we  retain  it. 

My  own  impression  is,  that  a  large  majority  of  the  Convention  will 
prefer,  in  tlie  second  article,  "throughout  the  world"  to  any  other 
phrase.     I  am  willing  to  concede  that,  and  so  is  Mr.  Fletcher. 

Most  of  the  other  questions  at  issue  between  us  will  probably  be  set- 
tled whenever  we  can  agree  with  respect  to  the  main  point  —  the  struc- 
ture of  an  organization.  The  difference  is  so  wide  that  I  see  not  how 
we  shall  be  likely  to  come  together  unless  we  can  have  a  meeting  of  the 
whole  committee,  in  which  the  subject  siiall  be  thoroughly  canvassed. 
My  own  opinion  is,  that  if  the  executive  committee  or  acting  board  is 
to  be  located  in  Boston,  our  plan  will  be  decidedly  the  best.  The  Amer- 
ican Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions  have  a  prudential 
committee  of  seven,  who  meet  once  a  week,  and  do  their  work  well. 
Not  a  member  of  that  executive  committee  expends  as  much  time  and 
labor  as  I  do  in  an  acting  board  of  fifteen.  Not  one  of  them  is  a 
"  paid  soldier."  Everything  is  done  systematically  and  efficiently.  We 
can  find  seven  or  nine  brethren  who  would  do  as  well,  and  ask  no  com- 
pensation. 

I  need  not  enlarge.  Dr.  Wayland  will  probably  write  you  his  views. 
May  God  give  us  all  wisdom,  and  enable  us  to  coincide  in  some  plan 
that  will  please  himself.  I  desire  onlv  that  we  may  devise  some  method 
14 


210-  MEMOIR   OF   DK.    STOW. 

by  which  we   can  hibor  together,  in  love,   for  the  propagation   of  the 
blessed  gospel  throughout  the  world. 

Your  brief  sentence  respecting  the  subscription  for  the  forty-thousand- 
dollar-debt  gives  me  pain.  I  fondly  hoped  to  hear  from  you  some- 
thing encouraging.  How  can  we  in  good  faith  change  our  constitution 
before  provision  is  made  for  the  extinguishing  of  that  debt?  If  the 
old  Convention  should  be  dissolved,  to  whom  may  our  creditors  look  for 
the  liquidating  of  their  claims.''  Mr.  Fletcher  says  the  individual  mem- 
bers of  the  Convention  will  be  held  in  law.  Other  questions  i^ill 
arise  involving  us  in  legal  difficulties.  I  see  not  how  we  can  move  in 
our  new-modelling  enterprise  unless  the  entire  debt  is  provided  fcr. 
New  England  will  furnish  her  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  Cannot 
New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  Pennsylvania  supply  the  remainder. 

I  ought  to  have  said  a  word  respecting  the  clause  in  our  plan,  making 
the  members  of  the  Convention  who  may  be  present  life  members,  &c. 
Our  object  was  to  create  at  once  a  body  that  could  organize  and  pro- 
ceed to  action ;  and  we  could  think  of  no  other  plan  so  feasible,  and 
which  would  conciliate  good  feeling  on  the  part  of  such  as  might  be 
at  the  trouble  and  expense  of  SLt^ending  an  extra  session.  We  do  not, 
however,  attach  great  importance  to  that  item.  It  appeared  to  us  a 
happy  mode  for  the  transmigration  of  the  soul  from  one  body  to  another. 

Brother  Judson  is  now  with  his  sister  at  Plymouth.     Providence  per- 
mitting, he  will  be  in  New  York  at  the  Convention. 
With  unabated  esteem  and  confidence, 

Your  aflfectionate  brother, 

Bakon  Stow. 

Boston,  October  28,  1845. 

My  dear  Brother  :  Your  favor  of  the  24th  came  to  hand  yesterday 
morning.  Of  course  we  are  highly  gratified  with  the  prospect  of  eight 
thousand  dollars  from  New  York  towards  the  forty  tliousand  dollars. 
Our  current  receipts,  apart  from  the  debt,  this  month,  have  been  already 
more  than  six  thousand  dollars.  By  the  steamer  of  November  1,  we 
forward  ten  thousand  dollars  to  the  Barings  in  London. 

Should  the  right  kind  of  feeling  prevail  among  the  brethren  at  the 
extra  session  of  the  Convention,  perhaps  something  can  be  done  on  th«j 
spot  towards  completing  the  forty-thousand-dollar  subscription. 

I  see  not,  my  dear  brother,  how  the  minds  of  our  committee  of  nine 
can  be  harmonized  by  correspondence.  Ought  we  not  to  have  a  meet- 
ing of  the  whole  committee,  and  endeavor  to  agree  upon  something 
that  we  can  all  readily  support.'* 

I  regret  that  I  should  have  unwittingly  led  you  to  suspect  that  I  prefer 
Presbyterian  aristocracy  to  Baptist  or  New   Testament  republicanism. 


COERESPONDBNCE.  211 

I  referred  to  the  fact  that  seven  men  in  the  system  of  the  A.  B.  C.  F. 
M.  do  a  certain  service  witliout  pay  simply  to  answer  one  of  your  objec- 
tions to  our  plan.  Whether  so  small  a  number  of  Baptists  could  be 
trusted  to  do  a  similar  work  for  a  single  year  under  the  instructions  of 
a  board  of  sixty  or  seventy-five,  is  another  question. 

Let  us  seek  wisdom  from  above.  If  we  are  willing  to  do  Christ's 
work  upon  his  own  plan,  we  shall  certainly  come  together  and  affection- 
ately cooperate.  As  far  as  we  have  attained,  let  us  mind  the  same 
thing,  and  walk  by  the  same  rule.  And  if  in  anything  we  are  otherwise 
minded,  God  will  reveal  even  this  unto  us. 
With  true  affection, 

Your  brother  and  fellow- laborer, 

Baron  Stow. 
Rev.  Dr.  Cone,  New  York. 

Boston,  January  30,  1846. 

My  dear  Brother:  Ever  since  that  blessed  meeting  of  the  General 
Convention  in  November  last,  I  have  intended  to  write  you,  tendering 
my  personal  thanks  for  the  noble  part  which  you  acted  on  that  occasion. 
Knowirlg  fully,  as  I  did,  your  views  and  feelings  on  various  points,  I 
regarded  your  course  with  admiration,  and  almost  wonder.  A  richer 
specimen  of  Christian  magnanimity  I  have  never  witnessed.  Pardon 
the  freedom  with  which  I  write.  My  heart  guides  my  pen.  I  shall 
ever  associate  that  precious  occasion  with  the  grace  of  God  bestowed 
upon  yourself  as  the  chairman  of  the  committee  of  nine. 

I  feel  much  solicitude  with  reference  to  the  organization  of  our  Union 
in  May  next.  There  ought,  it  seems  to  me,  to  be  some  correspondence 
or  conference  of  our  more  aged  and  experienced  brethren  in  different 
parts  of  the  country  touching  the  appointment  of  a  home  secretary. 
We  have,  for  some  time,  had  our  eyes  fixed  on  Brother  Bright,  of 
Homer,  N.  Y.,  as  the  most  suitable  man  for  this  post.  His  heart  is  fer- 
vently enlisted  in  the  cause  of  foreign  missions,  and  we  can  think  of  no 
one  else  so  well  fitted  for  the  place  vacated  by  Brother  Pattison. 

I  have  read  with  pain  the  "statement"  of  a  committee  of  the  Ameri- 
can Bible  Society.  It  savors  of  the  old  spirit  of  persecution.  The 
counter  statement  of  the  Arnerican  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  is  manl}^ 
dignified.  Christian,  and  will  tell  to  the  full  weight  of  its  metal. 

In  heaven  there  will  be  none  of  this  squabbling.  May  j'ou  and  I  find 
that  peaceful  home. 

Most  fraternally, 

Baron  Stow. 

Rev.  Dr.  Cone. 


212  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

Boston,  May  9,  1846. 

Mt  dear  Brother  :  I  have  seen  this  morning,  in  the  last  number  of 
the  New  York  Baptist  Register,  published  at  Utica,  an  article  that  occa- 
sions me  unutterable  distress.  The  editor,  in  his  leading  article,  pro- 
fesses to  have  ascertained  the  true  author  of  the  constitution  of  the 
American  Baptist  Missionary  Union,  and  gives  the  source  of  his  infor- 
mation. 

The  facts  are  these.  Just  before  "  Elder"  Bennett  left  New  York  city 
for  an  excursion  into  the  western  part  of  the  state,  he  wrote  me, 
requesting  me  to  furnish  him  with  suggestions  that  might  aid  him  in  his 
enterprise.  He  wished  to  remove  prejudices  from  the  minds  of  some 
good  bretiiren,  &c.  I  accordingly  wrote  him  at  Rocliester,  giving  my 
views  on  various  points.  1  stated  that  I  knew  the  meaning  of  every 
word  and  syllable  of  the  constitution,  as  I  had  transcribed  it  seven 
times,  and  spent  weeks  of  labor  and  prayer  in  its  preparation.  I  cer- 
tainly never  said  or  intimated  that  I  was  the  "  sole  author  "  of  the  docu- 
ment. I  did  not  intend  to  convey  such  an  impression.  The  outlines  of 
the  constitution  were  agreed  upon  by  the  four  New  England  members 
of  the  committee,  and  the  labor  of  preparing  the  instrument  was  com- 
mitted to  me.  Subsequently,  at  a  full  meeting  of  the  committee  in 
New  York,  several  important  modifications  were  made  at  your  own 
suggestion. 

Providence  permitting,  I  shall  be  in  New  York  on  Wednesday.     My 
throat  and  lungs  are  in  a  bad  state,  and  I  greatly  fear  that  I  may  be 
wholly  unfit  for  the  Thursday  evening  service. 
Very  sincerely, 

Your  brother,  as  ever, 

Barok  Stow. 

Rev.  Dr.  Cone,  N.  Y. 

The  foregoing  correspondence  shows  us  the  interest  which 
Mr.  Stow  took  in  the  formation  of  the  "Missionary  Union,"  and 
the  important  service  he  rendered  in  drafting  its  excellent 
constitution.  Modestly  disclaiming,  as  he  does,  the  entire 
authorship  of  this  constitution,  it  is,  nevertheless,  evident  that 
his  peculiar  gift  in  drawing  up  such  papers  is  to  be  traced  in 
all  its  sections  and  parts.  It  was  his  aim  to  preserve  a  just 
mean  between  an  organization  so  loose  and  general  in  its 
character,  that  it  had  no  power  of  concentration,  and  one 
which  should  be  but  little  better  than  a  close  corporation. 
While  both  exj)erience  and  observation  taught  him  that  a 


DEATH    OF    niS    MOTHEE.  213 

society  having  so  large  a  constituency  as  the  "  Union  "  must 
do  its  work  through  a  few  men  of  responsible  character  and 
tried  integrity,  yet  he  would  not  lodge  power  in  the  hands 
of  a  few,  even  of  the  best  of  men,  without  making  them 
accountable  to  some  higher  authority.  He  knew  how  jealous 
the  denomination  has  been  of  any  approach  to  what  might 
seem  ecclesiastical  authority  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  few 
persons.  The  wisdom  of  the  steps  he  took  has  been  amply 
justified  by  the  history  of  the  Union. 

The  narrative  of  his  ministerial  life  is  the  record  of  the 
usual  cares  and  toil  which  are  incident  to  the  life  of  a  faith- 
ful pastor;  and  for  several  months  we  find  nothing  of  such 
interest  as  to  be  worthy  of  a  special  prominence  in  a  Memoir 
like  this.  On  the  23d  of  May,  1846,  the  Missionary  Union  was 
fully  organized,  with  Dr.  Sharp  for  its  president.  Mr.  Stow 
was  urged  to  accept  the  office  of  corresponding  secretary,  but 
he  felt  obliged  to  decline.  He  was,  however,  appointed  on 
the  executive  committee.  A  Sabbath  or  two  after  this  he 
alludes  to  an  address  made  by  Dr.  Dean  to  the  Baldwin 
Place  congregation,  "  in  a  strain  of  Christian  simplicity  and 
tenderness,"  he  remarks,  "which  I  never  beard  surpassed. 
At  some  points  hundreds  were  overpowered  with  emotion, 
and  melted  into  tears.  I  have  never  witnessed  in  any  man 
stronger  proofs  of  entire  consecration  to  Christ.  In  the 
evening  a  public  meeting  was  held  in  Bakhvin  Place  pre- 
paratory to  the  departure  of  Bi'other  Dean  and  Ko  A  Bak 
for  China.  It  was  good  to  be  there.  Brother  Neale  gave 
the  address."  The  next  day  Dr.  Dean  left  for  New  York, 
where  he  embarked  for  the  distant  field  of  his  mission- 
ary labor.  Within  a  month  Dr.  Judson  and  those  who 
accompanied  him,  left  in  the  ship  Faneuil  Hall  for  Bur- 
mah.  Scenes  like  these  kept  buniing  the  flame  of  missionary 
zeal  which  long  since  had  been  kindled  in  the  heart  of  Mr. 
Stow. 

He  makes  a  touching  record  in  his  journal,  a  few  weeks 
later,  on  receiving  the  intelligence  of  the  death  of  hia 
mother. 


214  MEMOIE   OF   DR.    STOW. 

Auo:ust  31.  1846.  Found  a  letter  from  sister  P.,  communicating  the 
expectt'd  hut  most  afflictin;^  Intelligence  of  my  precious  mother's  depart- 
ure for  a  hetter  world.  She  died  August  19,  at  three  and  a  half  P.  M., 
aged  seventy-one.  I  need  grace  to  enable  me  to  regard  the  dispensa- 
tion in  its  right  light,  and  to  derive  from  it  spiritual  benefit.  God  has 
come  near  to  me.  O,  how  excellent  that  mother  1  How  faithful  has 
she  been  in  every  relation  I  How  prudent,  how  quiet,  how  pious  !  How 
mu<li  am  I  indebted  to  her  prayers,  instructions,  and  examples  I  Have 
I  valued  her  as  I  should? 


PERSONAL   ANXIETIES.  "215 


CHAPTER    XV. 

A     BUSY     MINISTERIAL      LlFK.  —  AnXIETY     WITH     REFERENCE     TO      HI3 

Church.  —  Journal.  —  Resignation. 

1847-1848. 

We  return  ngain  to  those  more  quiet  scenes  in  the  life  of 
Dr.  Stow,  *  when,  as  a  pastor,  he  gave  liis  best  energies  of 
mind  and  heart  to  tlie  promotion  of  the  rehgious  welfare 
of  his  people.  The  year  1847  opens  with  some  discourage- 
ments. In  his  view  a  long  period  had  passed  away  since 
his  church  had  been  blessed  with  one  of  those  seasons  of 
religious  refreshing  in  Avhich  he  so  much  delighted.  He 
hails  with  joy  every  token  that  seems  to  indicate  the  return 
of  the  Spirit  to  the  congregation,  whom  he  unceasingly  bears 
in  his  affections.  "  Is  God  about  to  appear  for  us  ? "  he 
writes  at  the  close  of  his  record  of  the  meeting,  held,  as  usual, 
at  the  beginning  of  the  new  year.  If  he  is  "  prostrated  in 
body,"  he  is  "  hopeful  in  mind."  "  Lord,  help  me  to  rely  on 
thee  alone,"  is  his  fervent  prayer.  Weeks  pass,  and  no  such 
blessing  comes  as  he  has  been  hoping  for.  One  inquirer  —  "a 
rare  visitor"  —  calls  on  him.  "It  is  a  sweet  privilege  to  direct 
him  to  Christ,  and  to  kneel  with  him  before  the  cross  in 
supplication  of  God's  forgiviug  mercy.  O,  when  shall  I  see 
many  of  my  congregation  turn  the  weeping  eye  and  the  anx- 
ious heart  towards  Calvary !  " 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Missionary  Union  in  Cincinnati,  in 
May,  he  preached  the  annual  sermon.     The  change  of  scene, 

*  The  honorary  degree  of  D.  D.  was  conferred  on  Mr.  Stow  by 
Brown  University  in  1846,  and  by  Harvard  College  in  1855. 


216  MEMOIR   OF    DR.    STOW. 

as  usual,  operated  favorably  in  the  restoration  of  his  health 
and  spirits.  On  the  return  of  the  party  who  were  his  com- 
panions, they  passed  a  day  or  two  at  Niagara  Falls,  which 
he  now  saw  for  the  fii'st  time.  "  O,  how  tame,"  he  writes, 
"  are  all  descriptions  that  I  have  ever  read  of  this  wonderful 
cataract !  The  image  is  fixed  in  my  mind,  and  will  long  re- 
main, but  M^ords  are  inadequate  to  represent  it."  A  few 
weeks  afterwards  we  find  him  at  Waterville,  attending  the 
commencement  of  the  college,  to  the  presidency  of  which  he 
bad  so  often  been  invited.  As  the  guest  of  Professor  M.  B. 
Anderson,  he  received  those  kind  attentions  which  were 
always  so  grateful  to  him.  On  the  15th  of  August  occurred 
a  farewell  missionary  meeting  at  the  Rowe  Street  Church, 
which  was  addressed  by  Rev.  Mr.  Abbott,  "  whose  descrip- 
tions," says  Dr.  Stow,  "  were  graphic,  and  his  appeals  power- 
ful. The  Loi'd  go  with  and  preserve  him,  and  make  him 
useful.  Fifteen  hundred  converted  Karens  are  waiting  for 
baptism,  and  he  hastens  to  meet  them,  and  administer  to 
them  that  precious  ordinance."  He  is  ready  to  resjjond  to 
calls  frequently  made  on  him  for  services  in  places  more  or 
less  remote  from  Boston.  On  the  18th  of  August  he  de- 
livers an  oration  in  Sherburne,  on  the  occasion  of  the  erection 
of  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  his  ancestor,  Henry  Leland. 
A  little  more  than  a  month  later  he  preached  the  sermon  at 
the  dedication  of  the  new  house  of  worship  of  the  First 
Baptist  Church  in  Springfield.  In  the  record  of  November  7 
he  refers  to  the  circumstance  of  having  completed  the  fifteenth 
year  of  his  ministry  in  Baldwin  Place.  "  Soon  I  must  give 
an  account  of  my  stewardship.  Lord,  help  me  to  be  faithful 
unto  the  end." 

Allusion  has  already  been  made  to  the  discouragement 
which  Dr.  Stow  felt  as  the  pastor  of  a  church  whose  fimiilies 
were  moving  to  other  and  more  attractive  sections  of  the 
city.  These  losses  keenly  affected  him.  The  friends  who 
left  him  were  those  to  whom  he  felt  a  joeculiar  attachment. 
Athough  for  a  time  some  of  them,  influenced  by  feelings 
of  personal   attachiiient,   retained   their  membership   in  his 


ANOTHER   CALL.  217 

church,  yet  he  could  not  help  noticing  that  gradually  they 
Avithdrew  from  the  more  social,  and  what  he  regarded  as  the 
more  spiritual,  meetings  of  the  church,  and  at  length  no 
longer  tilled  their  places  in  the  house  of  worship  on  the  Sab- 
bath. The  distance  was  too  great,  and  the  inconvenience  too 
serious,  to  be  overcome,  and  these  fomilies,  by  degrees,  fell 
into  other  places  of  worship  nearer  their  own  dwellings.  He 
was  too  sincere  in  his  own  affection,  and  too  candid  in  his 
judgment,  to  ascribe  the  action  of  his  friends  to  any  diminu- 
tion of  attachment  to  him.  He  acknowledged  that  the  sacri- 
fice was  too  great  on  their  part  to  leave  churches  which  pre- 
sented as  many  attractions,  and  perhaps  more  than  his  own, 
to  go  to  the  extreme  north-eastern  section  of  the  city,  through 
streets  some  of  which  had  become  largely  the  residence  of 
a  foreign  population,  who  were  not  altogether  the  most 
agreeable  people  to  meet  every  Sabbath.  He  was  beginning, 
moreover,  to  feel  seriously  the  almost  constant  drafts  which 
had  been  made  on  his  energies  for  so  many  years,  and  to 
question  whether  it  might  not  be  for  the  honor  of  the  Master, 
and  the  promotion  of  his  own  usefulness,  to  change  the  scene 
of  his  ministerial  labors.  In  addition  to  these  things,  there 
were  some  internal  difficulties  in  tlie  church,  not  uncommon, 
indeed,  because  they  are  liable  to  befall  any  church,  but  such 
as  weighed  upon  his  spirit,  affecting  a  nervous  system  alreaidy 
jaded  and  worn  by  the  unremitting  labors  of  years  of  active 
service.  We  do  not  wonder,  therefore,  to  find  him,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  year  1848,  weighing  carefully  and  prayer- 
fully the  question  of  personal  duty.  "Can  I  resign  the 
])astorate  without  essential  harm  to  the  interests  in  Baldwin 
Place  ?  I  can  sacrifice  anything  but  the  cause  of  Christ.  O, 
my  Saviour,  show  me  thy  Avill,  and  helj)  me  to  obey,  what- 
ever the  cost  to  myself."  In  the  midst  of  liis  perplexity,  he 
tells  us  that  an  "  old  friend  and  former  parishioner  called  to 
sound  me,  respecting  the  transfer  of  my  pastoral  relation 
to  another  church  out  of  the  city.  The  duties  there  would 
be  light,  the  sujjport  ample,  and  the  pleasures  of  residence 
desirable."     Unable,   however,   to   answer    affirmatively   the 


218  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

question,  "  Is  my  Avork  in  Baldwin  Place  done  ? "  he  would 
give  no  encouragement  to  his  friend.  His  j^urpose  was,  if  he 
resigned,  to  give  himself  a  respite  of  several  months  before 
accepting  another  call,  and  he  did  not  wish  to  have  his  mind 
harassed  by  invitations  to  settle  elsewhere. 

We  present  a  few  extracts  from  his  journal,  showing  the 
general  state  of  his  feelings,  and  making  allusions  to  passing 
events. 

March  10.  Wrote  several  letters,  and  finished  reading  Dibble's 
Tiioughts  on  Missions  —  a  work  which  has  stirred  my  inmost  soul,  and 
given  me  many  a  feeling  of  compunction.  Two  P.  M.  The  bells  are 
tolling,  the  body  of  J.  Q.  Adams  has  arrived,  and  the  grand  procession 
is  bearing  it  to  Faneuil  Hall.  God  sees  how  much  of  benevolence  and 
how  much  of  selfishness  are  mingled  in  these  pageants.  How  ready  we 
are  to  honor  others,  living  or  dead,  when,  by  so  doing,  we  can  honor 
ourselves ! 

Baltimore,  April  10.  Concluded  to  remain  here  another  day.  The 
air  is  truly  balmy  and  refresliing.  Dr.  Fuller  called.  We  spent  two 
hours  agreeably.  His  mind  is  working  deeply  on  the  subject  of  slavery. 
Dr.  Plummer  joined  us,  and  the  conversation  turned  on  High-churchisui, 
becoming  occasionally'  quite  piquant.  I  said  but  little  —  listened  the 
more.  Dr.  Fuller  remarked,  "  that  the  Baptists  had  more  charity  for 
the  Presbyterians  than  the  latter  had  for  the  former."  This  Dr.  Plum- 
mer denied.  "  Why,"  said  Dr.  Fuller,  turning  to  me,  "  I  expect  to 
baptize  Dr.  Plummer  yet,  and  see  him  pastor  of  a  Baptist  church."  Dr. 
Plunmier  rose  and  approached  me,  saying,  "  As  for  Brother  Fuller.  I 
never  expect  to  see  him  anything  but  a  close  communion  Baptist." 
"  There,"  exclaimed  Dr.  Fuller,  "  I  told  him  we  were  more  charitable 
than  they.  I  have  hope  of  him  that  he  will  yet  come  into  the  light,  and 
do  better,  but  he  has  no  hope  of  me." 

Washington,  April  18.  Last  Saturday  night  seventy-seven  slaves 
escaped  from  the  District,  and  went  on  board  a  vessel  in  the  river,  and 
started  on  a  race  for  freedom.  Sunday  morning  two  thousand  dollars 
were  offered  for  the  capture  of  the  vessel  and  the  recovery  of  the  fugi- 
tives. A  steamboat,  armed,  was  sent  in  pursuit,  news  was  sent  by  tele- 
graph to  Baltimore,  and  the  revenue  cutter  went  down  the  bay  for  the 
same  purpose.  They  were  overtaken  and  seized  ;  at  eight  and  a  half  this 
morning  the  captain  of  the  vessel  and  two  other  white  men  were  brought 
up  from  the  wharf,  past  our  lodgings,  and  shut  up  in  jail.  At  tlie 
same  time  the  slaves  were  marched  by,  shackled  together  two  and  two, 
and  likewise  lodged  in  jail.  O,  it  was  a  pitiable  sight.  France  drives 
away  her  oppressors,  and  emancipates  her  slaves,  and  the  people  here. 


RESIGNS    PASTORATE    OF   BALDWIN   PLACE    CHURCH.      219 

are  boisterous  in  their  expressions  of  sympathy.  A  few  Africans 
endeavor,  without  violence,  to  gain  tlieir  freedom,  and  tlie  men  wlio  aid 
them  are  cursed,  seized,  and  punished.  How  does  God  view  these 
things?     My  soul  is  sickened  and  disgusted. 

Washington,  April  20.  Rode  to  College  Hill ;  spent  the  remainder  of 
the  day  with  President  Bacon  and  family.  How  familiar  were  all  the 
surroundings  —  the  room  occupied  by  Brother  Knowles  and  myself, 
"  No.  30,"  the  room  of  the  Enosinian  Society,  with  the  banner  of  the 
society  (a  device  of  my  own),  tlie  library,  the  cliapel,  &c.,  &c.  There  I 
saw  the  very  books  which  I  devoured  with  avidity,  and  from  which 
I  derived  stores  of  valuable  knowledge.  The  only  one  about  the 
premises  whom  I  recognized  was  Professor  W.  E.  He  has  been  there 
from  the  beginning,  and  is  the  same  precious  good  man. 

Washington,  April  21.  Threatened  with  my  heart  trouble.  I  keep 
my  room  to-day.  The  excitement  witliout  is  alarming.  For  tliree  nights 
the  mob  has  collected  around  the  otlice  of  the  National  Era  (an  able 
anti-slavery  paper),  and  made  some  threatening  demonstrations.  Mr. 
Palfrey,  of  Massachusetts,  in  the  House,  and  Mr.  Hale,  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, in  the  Senate,  yesterday  introduced  resolutions  for  the  aj)point- 
ment  of  committees  of  inquiry  touching  these  disturbances,  which  were 
as  firebrands  in  a  magazine.  I  cannot  walk  out,  or  enter  a  shop,  with- 
out hearing  violent  and  profane  language,  denouncing  and  threatening 
the  opponents  of  slavery.  What  a  savage  a  man  is  when  his  passions 
are  aroused ! 

During  this  visit  among  his  friends  in  Wasliington,  Dr. 
Stow  came  to  the  decision  which  cost  him  so  much  pain,  and 
which  he  reached  only  after  long  and  earnest  deliberation. 
It  is  thus  that  he  alludes  to  the  disruption  of  the  ties  which 
for  so  many  years  had  bound  him  to  Baldwin  Place  :  — 

May  18.  This  has  been  one  of  the  most  trying  days  of  my  life.  I 
have  written  my  letter  of  resignation,  intending,  if  Providence  permit, 
to  have  it  read  to  my  people  next  Lord's  day.  It  is  an  act  which  I  have 
long  dreaded,  but  to  which  I  can  see  no  alternative.  O  God,  tliou 
knowest  my  heart,  and  wilt  judge  me  at  the  last  day  !  Do  I  not  love 
this  people?  Do  I  not  leave  them  in  obedience  to  thy  will?  Does  not 
thy  providence  make  my  duty  plain  and  imperative? 

Those  who  place  as  high  an  estimate  as  Dr.  Stow  did  on 
permanency  in  the  pastoral  relation,  and  the  sacredness  of  the 
ties  which  bind  church  and  minister,  will  be  able  to  sympa- 
thize with  him  in  the  great  struggle  through  which  he  passed. 


220  MEMOIR    OF    DE.    STOW. 

Those,  on  the  contrary,  who  view  the  relation  very  much  in 
the  same  light  that  some  of  our  modern  reformers  regard  the 
marriage  bond,  will  have  but  very  little  sympathy  with  this 
greatly  perplexed  pastor.  The  following  was  the  communi- 
cation which  he  read  to  the  congregation  at  the  close  of  the 
morning  service.  May  21.  He  very  touchingly  says,  "God 
gave  me  strength  to  do  it  firmly.  My  heart  ached,  but  I  was 
able  to  suppress  emotion,  and  to  control  myself  so  as  to  make 
no  demands  on  the  symj^athy  of  others." 

To  the  Baldwin  Place  Baptist  Church  and  Society. 

Dear  Brethren  and  Friends  :  When  my  esteemed  pred- 
ecessor, the  Rev.  James  D.  Knowles,  entered  upon  his  duties 
as  your  pastor,  he  had  perfect  health ;  and  yet,  before  seven 
years  had  elapsed,  he  found  himself  oppressed  by  the  cares 
and  responsibilities  of  his  onerous  charge,  and  compelled,  by 
a  regard  to  self-preservation,  to  retire  to  another  field  of  labor. 
I  succeeded  him,  in  the  autumn  of  1832,  with  a  constitution 
naturally  slender,  and  impaired  by  repeated  attacks  of  dis- 
ease, to  which,  from  early  childhood,  I  had  been  subjected. 
Consequently  I  did  not  indulge  the  expectation  that  my 
period  of  useful  labor  in  your  service  could  possibly  equal 
that  of  the  worthy  brother  who  had  jjreceded  me.  That  I 
have  been  able  to  retain  my  position  for  more  than  double 
that  time  is  to  be  attributed,  under  God,  to  your  jDeculiai 
kindness  and  forbearance. 

I  am  happy  to  bear  testimony  that  you  have  never  de- 
manded of  me  service  beyond  my  ability  to  perform.  On  the 
contrary,  you  have  ever  been  tenderly  considerate  and  careful 
of  my  liealth,  and  given  me  every  desirable  facility  for  its 
jjreservation.  Not  only  have  you  provided  for  my  regular 
support  in  a  way  that  has  given  me  entire  satisfaction,  but  m 
numerous  instances  you  have,  by  special  acts  of  liberality, 
created  occasion  for  my  fervent  and  lasting  gratitude.  In 
return,  I  have  endeavored,  to  the  full  extent  of  my  capability, 
to  serve  you  in  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Of  the  manner  in  which 
I  have  executed  my  trust  it  does  not  become  me  to  speak. 


LETTER    OF    KESIGNATION.  221 

Ye  are  my  witnesses,  and  God  is  my  Judge.  Many  of  you  aro 
not  ignorant  that  during  the  last  five  years  I  have  often  been 
compelled  by  pliysical  infirmities  to  contemplate  tlie  probabil- 
ity of  a  dissolution  of  the  ties  which  have  bound  us  in  a  happy 
connection.  The  thought  of  such  an  issue  has  always  been 
painful  to  myself;  but  I  could  not  avoid  the  apprehension 
that  Providence  would  force  it  upon  us.  During  the  last  four 
months,  other  considerations,  of  a  very  emphatic  kind,  have 
contributed  with  my  impaired  health  to  settle  my  convictions 
that  my  continuance  as  your  pastor  is  incompatible  with  both 
my  usefulness  and  my  happiness.  This  announcement  would 
have  been  sooner  made  but  for  the  persuasions  of  others, 
whose  reasons  for  delay  appealed  to  feelings  to  which  I  hope 
never  to  be  a  stranger. 

The  indications  are  so  clear  that  no  alternative  remains 
but  for  me  to  declare,  respectfully  and  firmly,  that  duty  to 
you,  to  myself,  and  above  all,  to  the  cause  of  our  common 
Lord,  demands  my  retirement  from  the  oflice  with  which  you 
have  so  long  and  so  indulgently  honored  me.  To  that  de- 
mand I  yield  as  to  a  necessity  Avhich  I  have  not  created,  and 
which  I  can  neither  resist  nor  modify. 

But  that  my  action  may  occasion  you  as  little  embarrass- 
ment as  possible,  and  that  you  may  have  time  to  mature 
an-angements  for  the  future,  I  am  not  unwilling  to  postpone 
for  a  few  weeks  the  final  act  of  separation.  I  will  see  the 
pulpit  supplied  until  the  1st  of  July  next,  and  will  render  such 
other  service  in  the  mean  time  as  the  state  of  my  health  may 
permit,  and  as  may  best  contribute  to  your  interest. 

I  leave  you,  my  beloved  flock,  with  emotions  which  no 
language  can  adequately  represent.  I  cannot  trust  myself  in 
any  attempt  to  give  them  utterance. 

Reminiscence!#of  the  tenderest  character  crowd  my  mind, 
and  awaken  feelings  Avhich  can  better  be  inter])reted  by  your 
own  hearts  than  by  my  w'ords.  I  shall  therefore  spare  you, 
as  I  would  spare  myself,  the  review  of  the  years  which  we 
have  passed  in  happy  union.  My  aftection  for  you  has  been 
as  strong  as  my  nature  permitted,  and  that  afiection  remains 


222  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

undhnlnisbed,  I  have  given  you  my  best  days  and  my  best 
strength,  and  I  now  retire  with  no  prospect  of  future  occupa- 
tion, simply  committing  myself  to  the  care  of  that  faithful 
Providence  which  has  never  left  me  unemployed  or  uncom- 
pensated. Whatever  may  be  the  lot  which  that  Providence 
shall  assign  me,  your  prosperity  will,  to  the  last,  be  the  object 
of  my  constant  solicitude  and  my  fervent  prayers. 
With  affectionate  respect, 

Your  friend  and  brother. 

Baron  Stow. 

Boston,  May  21,  1848. 

The  most  sincere  endeavors  were  made  by  the  church  to 
induce  him  to  withdraw  his  resignation,  but  he  had  long  and 
anxiously  weighed  the  matter  which  had  been  pressing  upon 
his  mind,  and  his  purpose  remained  fixed  and  unalterable. 
The  record  of  his  closing  service  as  pastor  of  the  Baldwin 
Place  Church  is  in  the  following  words  :  — 

June  25,  Loril's  day.  In  the  morning  preached  from  Rev.  xxi.  4, 
first  clause,  and  baptized  five  young  jiersons.  The  house  was  very  full, 
and  the  occasion  was  one  of  tender  interest.  Lord,  bless  thou  the  ser- 
vices to  the  conversion  of  sinners.  Afternoon  I  remained  at  home. 
The  services  of  the  morning  drew  deeply  on  my  excitability,  and  I  have 
suffered  severely  as  the  result.  The  Baldwin  Place  Baptist  Society  met, 
and,  I  am  told,  passed  some  kind  resolutions,  expressive  of  their  feelings, 
in  consequence  of  my  decision.  They  are  indeed  a  generous  people.  I 
have  occasion  to  love  them.  Nothing  but  a  clear  conviction  of  duty 
compels  me  to  leave  them. 

The  next  day  the  resolutions  referred  to  were  placed  in 
his  hands.     They  are  alluded  to  in  the  following  record  :  — 

June  26.  Received  a  communication  from  N.  ]5|clson,  clerk  of  the 
Baldwin  Place  Baptist  Society,  with  a  copy  of  the  following  resolutions, 
adopted  yesterday  afternoon. 

Resolved,  That  the  reply  of  Rev.  Baron  Stow  to  our  request  that  he 
would  withdraw  his  resignation  of  the  pastoral  office  fills  us  with  the 
most  profound  sorrow.  And  while  we  cannot  suppress  the  painful  emo- 
tions occasioned  by  the  severing  of  the  tie  that  has  so  long  bound  us 


SUMMARY    OF    LABORS.  223 

together,  as  pastor  and  pooplc,  yet,  believing  him  to  be  actuated  by  a 
sincere  conviction  of  duty,  we  accept  his  resignation. 

Resolved,  We  cannot  permit  this  opportunity  to  pass  without  bear- 
ing testimony  to  the  faithfulness,  assiduity,  ability,  and  untiring  zeal 
that  have  distinguished  both  liis  pulpit  and  pastoral  labors ;  and  while  it 
will  ever  be  our  happiness  to  cherisli  the  recollections  of  the  many 
liallowed  associations  that  crowd  so  thickly  all  the  way  along  his  pastoral 
connection  with  us,  we  will  pray  that,  whatever  post  of  duty  God  may 
hereafter  assign  him,  he  may  continue  to  be  distinguished  for  a  faithful 
discharge  of  his  duty,  and  receive  at  last  from  the  lips  of  his  Master  the 
welcome,  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant;  enter  thou  into  the  joy 
of  thy  Lord." 

Resolved,  That  sixteen  years  of  faithful  service,  resulting  in  the 
prostration  of  his  health,  and  in  his  inability  to  perform  any  labor 
probably  for  several  months  to  come,  render  it  a  duty,  as  it  is  also  a 
pleasure,  that  we  should  make  some  provision  for  his  support  until  he 
is  able  to  resume  his  professional  duties. 

Resolved,  That  the  treasurer  be  directed  to  pay  to  Rev.  Baron  Stow 
his  salary  to  1st  of  October  next,  less  the  expense  of  supplying  the  pul- 
pit up  to  that  date. 

The  record  of  his  work  while  pastor  of  the  Baldwin  Place 
Church  he  thus  briefly  sums  up :  "  I  have  preached  fifteen 
hundred  and  sixty-six  sermons,  made  thirteen  thousand  four 
hundred  and  thirty-four  pastoral  visits,  baptized  six  hundred 
and  fifty-five,  attended  seven  hundred  and  fifteen  funerals, 
and  solemnized  five  hundred  and  seventy-eight  marriages. 
During  this  period  I  have  travelled  more  than  twenty-five 
thousand  miles." 

June  30.  This  day  concludes  my  pastoral  relation  to  Baldwin  Place. 
J  am  oppressed  by  the  recollections  that  crowd  my  mind.  I  remember 
the  goodness  of  God  to  me  and  mine,  my  sins  and  imperfections,  my 
labors,  my  successes,  my  enjoyments  and  trials.  O  that  God  would 
forgive  all  that  has  been  wrong  in  thought,  feeling,  desire,  word,  and 
action !  May  I  to-day  be  cleansed,  by  the  blood  of  Christ,  from  all  sin. 
May  I  believe  anew  in  the  atoning  Saviour,  and  be  anew  accepted 
through  him.  May  I  be  thankful  for  all  mercies.  A  fresh  consecration 
will  I  make  to  the  service  of  my  Lord  and  Master.  Body  and  soul  I  lay 
upon  the  altar.  Lord,  I  am  thine,  wholly,  thine,  forevermore.  My  heart 
bleeds  fur  my  dear  people,  soon  to  be  no  more  my  peculiar  charge.  Lord, 
take  them  under  thy  paternal  care.     Keep  them  affectionately  united. 


224  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

Provide  for  them  an  intelligent,  kind,  devoted,  faithful  pastor,  who  shall 
feed  them  with  knowledge  and  understanding.  "Peace  be  within  thy 
walls,  and  prosperity  within  thy  palaces." 

How  Baron  Stow,  for  so  many  years  the  laborious,  af- 
fectionate pastor  of  a  confiding  flock,  felt,  on  being  thus 
drawn  aside  from  the  chosen  j)ursuits  of  his  life,  may  be  in- 
ferred from  his  own  Avords. 

July  I.  To-day  I  enter  upon  a  new  era  of  my  life.  I  am  without 
employment !  To  be  free  from  the  burden  that  has  long  pressed  upon 
me  is  truly  a  relief,  and  yet  this  very  relief  has  its  sadness  and  sorrow. 
I  have  loved  my  people  and  my  work,  and  now  to  surrender  both  is  a 
heavy  trial ;  but  my  conviction  of  duty  is  unclouded  by  a  doubt.  Every 
day  adds  to  its  strength.  One  of  the  interesting  facts  in  the  case  is,  that 
no  one,  to  my  knowledge,  has  blamed  me,  or  questioned  my  motives. 
All  say,  "  You  have  done  right."  It  is  gratifying  to  have  the  approba- 
tion of  the  wise  and  good,  but  still  more  to  have  the  approval  of  Heaven. 
Still  let  me  trust  my  heavenly  Father.  He  has  ever  guided  and  pro- 
tected me,  and  provided  for  me.  Into  thy  hands  I  commend  myself 
and  family,  and  all  our  interests  for  time  and  eternity.  The  Lord  ia 
my  portion. 


VR.    STOW'S    REMINISCENCBS.  225 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

Reminiscences  of  Baldavin  Place  Church. — Cobrespondence. — 
Call  to  the  Pierrepont  Street  Church,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. — 
Call  TO  THE  Rowe  Street  Church,  Boston.  —  Acceptance  op 
the  latter  Call.  —  Journal. 

The  ministry  of  Dr.  Stow,  as  the  pastor  of  the  Baldwin 
Phicc  Church,  commenced,  as  we  have  ah-eady  seen,  Novem- 
ber 15,  1832,  and  closed  July  1,  1848,  thus  covering  a  period 
of  nearly  sixteen  years.  That  it  was  an  eminently  successful 
ministry,  the  record  we  have  given  abundantly  proves.  In  a 
previous  chapter  Ave  have  quoted  from  a  communication 
written  by  Dr.  Stow,  on  the  occasion  of  the  forewell  service 
held  in  the  venerable  church  pre\ious  to  its  being  given  up  to 
the  corporation  of  gentlemen  known  as  the  "Baldwin  Place 
Home  for  Little  Wanderers."  This  letter  has  so  much  to  do 
with  his  own  connection  with  the  religious  society  which  was 
removing  to  its  new  home  in  the  south  part  of  the  city,  that 
we  cannot  do  better  than  lay  another  extract  from  it  before 
our  readers. 

"  When  I  commenced  my  labors,  the  deacons  were  Edward 
Smith,  Jacob  Hiler,  Ezra  Chamberlain,  Samuel  Beal,  Benja- 
min Kimball,  and  Benjamin  Smith,  all  good  men  and  true. 
Of  these,  two  survive,  having  their  membership  in  other 
churches.  Subsequently  two  others  were  elected.  I  de- 
light to  remember  the  many  who  were  then  active  in  the 
church,  ready  co-workers  with  the  pastor.  Hardly  shall  I 
dis|)arage  the  brethren  if  I  speak  in  strong  terms  of  the  piety, 
steadfastness,  and  holy  consistency  of  a  large  body  of  female 
members.  Might  it  not  seem  invidious,  I  could,  from 
15 


226  MEMOIR    OF    DE.    STOW. 

memory,  give  the  names  of  a  hundred,  mostly  baptized  by 
Dr.  Baldwin,  and  trained  by  him  in  doctrinal  belief  and  in 
ways  of  holy  living.  I  can  understand  the  apostle  when  he 
speaks  of  godly  women  who  labored  with  him  in  the  gospel. 
But  the  brethren  were  not  deficient.  They  stood  by  me,  and 
encouraged  me  in  my  S23iritual  work;  and  I  remember  with 
gratitude  their  zealous,  useful  fidelities. 

^'  When  I  entered  upon  the  charge  of  the  church,  its  mem- 
bership was  four  hundred  and  seventy-nine.  In  the  next  ten 
years  three  hundred  and  forty-eight  were  dismissed,  mostly 
to  form  new  churches.  Yet  at  the  end  of  ten  years  the 
membership  was  eight  hundred  and  sixty-one.  In  that.period 
we  had  three  revivals  of  great  power.  The  most  memorable 
one  >vas  in  1838,  for  it  was  most  decidedly  marked  as  the 
product  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Many  still  remember,  and  will 
never  forget,  that  hallowed  evening  of  December  31,  1837, 
when  under  a  sermon  —  the  union  lecture  of  the  four 
churches  —  more  than  a  hundred  were  awakened,  Avho  sub- 
sequently related  their  exj^erience  of  sovereign  grace,  and 
w^ere  baptized.  The  strength  added  to  the  church  by  that 
revival  was  greater  than  by  any  other,  except  by  the  one 
in  1803-4 

"  Since  my  retirement  from  the  j^astorate  in  Baldwin  Place, 
I  have  often  been  called  to  officiate  at  the  funerals  of  the 
more  aged  members.  I  could  render  the  service  with  heart. 
I  knew  their  history;  I  knew  the  depths  of  their  experi- 
ence ;  I  could  bear  candid  testimony  to  their  Morth.  Of  the 
many  who  drew  from  me  a  2:)roraise,  that,  if  within  reach,  I 
would  i)erform  for  them  that  final  service,  only  a  very  few 
remain,  waiting  their  Lord's  time  to  pass  over  the  river,  and 
join  the  great  multitude  on  the  shining  shore.  The  prospect 
of  reunion  with  so  many  of  that  dear  church  in  the  better 
land  is  to  me  inspiring  and  glorious.  My  heart  would  fain 
give  their  names.  But,  no :  I  must  forbear ;  for  I  might  omit 
some  precious  ones  of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy.  They 
are  all  registered  in  the  Lamb's  book  of  life. 

"  The  Baldwin  Place  Church,  as  I  have  known  it,  has  been 


CHARACTERISTICS    OF    BALDV.^IN    PLACE    CUURCII.        227 

distinguislicd  for  union  of  the  body.  I  doubt  if  any  church 
of  equal  numbers  has  been  more  closely  united  than  this  has 
been  since  the  settlement  of  Dr.  Baldwin,  nearly  seventy-five 
years  ago. 

"  There  has  been  special  attention  to  corrective  discipline. 
Regard  has  been  had  to  the  purity  of  the  church.  Scandals 
have  been  promptly  noted  and  reprehended.  Some  things 
tolerated  in  other  churches  have  ever  been  in  this  church 
subject  to  animadversion.  If  any  may  have  thought  her  dis- 
cipline sometimes  too  stringent,  none  have  charged  it  with 
favoritism  or  partiality.  By  acting  promptly,  she  has  cleared 
herself  from  reproach,  and  vindicated  the  cause  of  truth  and 
good  morals.  Where  evidence  of  contrition  was  apparent, 
no  church  was  ever  more  forgiving,  or  ready  to  welcome  back 
the  censured. 

"The  liberality  of  the  Baldwin  Place  Church  is  worthy  of 
mention.  Knowing  the  limitations  of  their  pecuniary  ability, 
I  was  often  amazed  at  the  ease  with  which  they  could  raise 
generous  contributions  for  necessary  purposes.  In  other 
churches,  often  the  few  give  largely,  and  many  give  nothing. 
In  Baldwin  Place,  none  gave  largely,  but  many  gave  some- 
thing ;  and  thus  aggregates  frequently  exceeded  my  anticipa- 
tions. Such  giving  I  regarded  as  healthful  to  the  church.  It 
is  the  gospel  rule,  —  every  one  according  to  cihiliti/. 

"As  I  knew  the  church,  it  was,  by  the  grace  of  God,  eminent 
for  spirituality.  The  great  majority  of  the  members  main- 
tained habitual  devotion.  Family  altars  were  numerous. 
Prayer  meetings  were  such  in  reality,  as  well  as  in  name. 
The  prayers  of  that  people  Avere  all  along  my  comfort  and 
support.  The  number  of  those  wdio  w\alked  with  God  was 
large  ;  and  I  felt  as  if  I  were  among  those  who  willingly  were 
'  strangers  and  pilgrims  on  the  earth.' 

"  Brethren  and  friends,  my  heart  is  full,  and  I  could  write 
indetinitely ;  but  I  must  not  monopolize  your  attention.  I  feel 
tenderly  under  the  melting  reminiscences  called  up  by  the 
occasion.  When  quite  young,  I  read  in  Ossian,  that  'the 
memory  of  joys  past  is  like  the  music  of  Caryl,  2">leasant,  but 


228  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

mournful  to  the  soul.'  Such  is  my  state  of  mind.  The  re- 
view is  pleasant^  because  it  pertains  to  joys  ;  it  is  mournful, 
because  those  joys  are  jmst.  But,  blessed  be  the  God  of  all 
grace,  there  are  joys  to  come.  We  are  going,  in  rapid  suc- 
cession, to  a  home  where  no  changes  bring  sadness  to  the 
heart ;  where  no  separations  lacerate  the  sensibilities  ;  where 
all  the  good  will  be  together,  and  remain  together  forever, 
one  consolidated  church.  Let  us  unweariedly  perform  our 
allotted  service,  and  patiently  wait  for  the  setting  of  our  sun, 
and  steadfastly  hope  for  the  promised  rest !  These  tearful 
partings  are  only  for  a  season.  The  children  of  God  never 
see  one  another  for  the  last  time.  And,  best  of  all,  the  Master 
says, '  Yet  a  little  while,  and  ye  shall  see  ME.'  " 

Before  we  proceed  farther  in  the  order  of  narrative,  we 
will  lay  before  our  readers  a  few  extracts  from  the  corre- 
spondence embraced  within  the  years  1845-48.  The  letters 
written  by  Di'.  Sharp  are  all  eminently  characteristic.  Those 
of  the  readers  of  this  Memoir  who  recall  the  traits  of  charac- 
ter of  the  venerable  pastor  of  the  Charles  Street  Church  will 
see  in  these  letters  a  true  transcript  of  the  man.  Early  in 
the  year  1845  he  had  left  his  home  for  the  purpose  of  revisit- 
ing the  scenes  and  reviving  the  associations  of  his  youthful 
days.  Fx'om  across  the  ocean  he  thus  writes  to  his  beloved 
friend  in  Boston  :  — 

Boston  (I  mean  Manchester),  April  14,  1845. 
My  dear  Brother  :  A  fortniglit  ago  this  afternoon  I  was  at  home, 
receiving  the  parting  visits  of  my  friends.  Now  I  am  in  England. 
Truly  steam  navigation  brings  distant  places  near.  I  can  scarcely  real- 
ize that  I  am  so  far  from  Boston.  We  arrived  yesterday  (Sabbath)  in 
Liverpool,  at  about  five  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Our  passage  was  a  very 
pleasant  one.  We  had,  in  fact,  a  fair  wind  all  the  way,  with  the  excep- 
tion, perhaps,  of  half  a  day.  I  was  very  sick  a  few  days,  and  very 
squeamish  a  few  more  days  ;  but  I  was  an  entire  stranger  to  timidity  or 
fear.  I  missed  the  Sabbath  services  \ery  much,  and  always  felt  that  I 
had  sailed  away  from  the  patii  of  duty.  The  captain  read  prayers  with 
very  great  propriety,  and  also  read  a  good  sermon  on  the  "  rest  which 
remaineth  for  the  people  of  God."     None  of  us  (in  conformity  with  the 


DR.    SHARP   IN   ENGLAND.  229 

usage  of  the  captain)  were  asked  to  preach.  We  were  treated,  how- 
ever, with  respect  and  kindness  by  every  one.  I  doubt  wliether  within 
the  hist  forty  years  there  was  ever  an  equal  number  of  passengers  who 
conducted  with  more  propriety  tiian  the  one  liundred  and  twenty  on 
board  tlie  Cambria.  I  confess,  in  that  respect,  I  was  greatly  disappoint- 
ed. I  received  far  more  attention  and  respect  from  every  one  than  I 
was  entitled  to.  Drs.  Codman  and  Parkman  were  very  pleasant  fellow- 
travellers.  AVe  conversed  agreeably  on  a  great  many  topics,  both  in- 
structive and  interesting,  but  quarrelled  about  none.  No  one  gave  up 
liis  principles,  nor  avoided  giving  a  pleasant  utterance  to  them ;  but  no 
one  beat  them  into  the  other.  I  should  be  very  happy  to  return  with 
either  or  both  of  them. 

On  the  Sabbatii  (i.  e.,  yesterday)  I  went  in  the  morning  to  hear  Mr. 
Lister.  He  preached  from  2  Peter  iii.  17.  A  very  judicious  sermon. 
Witli  the  singing  I  was  delighted.  There  were  an  organ  and  a  choir; 
but  in  addition  to  tliese  almost  the  whole  congregation  sang.  O,  when 
will  our  brethren  and  sisters  begin  to  feel  that  singing,  any  more  than 
prayer,  ought  not  to  be  performed  by  proxy  ?  And  then  the  practice  of 
each  one,  male  and  female,  making  a  short  prayer  so  soon  as  they  enter 
the  chapel,  and  doing  the  same  at  the  close  of  the  service,  was  very 
gratifying  to  me.  It  left  a  solemn  impression  on  my  own  mind.  The 
effect  on  tny  feelings  was  better  than  some  sermons  which  I  have  heard. 
1  confess  I  should  love  to  see  this  practice  general  in  all  our  congrega- 
tions. The  truth  is  that,  in  avoiding  the  errors  of  Popery,  we  have  gone 
to  the  otlier  extreme,  and  have  cast  out  everything  that  appeals  to  the 
senses.  Hence,  to  supply  this  want  of  man's  nature,  we  have  to  resort 
every  few  years  to  measures  which,  in  my  opinion,  are  as  humiliating, 
objectionable,  and  unscriptural  as  some  of  the  greatest  fooleries  of 
Popery. 

In  the  evening  I  went  to  hear  Dr.  Raffles ;  but  he  was  from  home  on 
an  exchange.  I  do  not  know  the  gentleman's  name  who  preached, 
neither  do  I  care  to  call  it  up.  It  was  an  exceedingly  connuonplace 
sermon,  delivered  in  a  pompous,  mouthing,  swelling  style.  It  was 
merely  inflated  words,  and  measured  cadences,  now  rising  and  now 
falling,  without  one  original  thought,  and  almost  without  one  old  thouglit. 
I  said  to  my  friend  Koberts,  as  we  went  home,  that  I  thouglit  we  of 
New  England  could  preach  as  well  as  that. 

To-morrow  I  expect  to  visit  Yorkshire,  and  to  place  myself  amid  the 
inanimate  objects  of  my  youtliful  days,  for  among  the  animate  ones 
how  few  shall  I  find  that  I  knew !  You  will  smile  at  my  weakness  when 
I  tell  you  that  the  sight  of  a  female  to-day  with  a  red  cloak  brought 
tears  to  my  eyes,  for  I  had  not  seen  one  on  any  one  since  I  last  saw  my 
own  dear  mother  in  hers.  It  awakened  recollections  which  alone  a  son 
loved  of  his  mother,  and  revering  her  piety  and  wisdom,  can  under- 
etand. 


230  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

Camberwell,  May  17,  1845. 

My  deaR  Brother  :  Your  letter  of  tlie  28th  ultimo  came  duly  to 
hand.  I  was  glad  to  recognize  the  writing  of  one  I  so  much  love  and 
respect.  I  approve  of  the  propositions  in  regard  to  which  you  express 
a.  belief  that  the  board  will  stand  together.  In  looking  over  the  papers 
wiiich  have  been  sent  me,  I  confess  I  am  astonished  at  the  flames  of  in- 
dignation which  have  burst  forth  in  every  portion  of  the  south  from 
the  perusal  of  so  calm  and  so  cool  a  letter  as  that  sent  out  to  Alabama  by 
the  board.  I  have  said  to  myself,  truly,  "How  great  a  matter  7io  fire 
kindlethi"  I  perceive  that  all  sorts  of  names  are  given  to  it.  It  is 
termed  an  unconstitutional,  morose,  bad-tempered,  assumptive  produc- 
tion I  Is  it  so?  Could  the  writer  of  it  be  so  self-deluded.?  It  was  cer- 
tainly penned  with  great  deliberation,  with  sincere  and  affectionate  good- 
will, with  perfect  calmness,  and  in  words  of  measured  courtesy  and  re- 
spect. But  so  it  has  always  been  —  "  your  good  will  be  evil  spoken  of." 
I  can  only  say  that,  had  I  the  same  duty  to  perform  again,  I  would  not 
alter  a  single  word,  except  to  make  the  expressions  stronger,  and,  so  far 
as  I  am  concerned,  I  would  give  more  emphatic  utterance  to  my  abhor- 
rence of  slavery. 

The  whole  system  is  the  perpetration  of  an  atrocious  wrong  to  human 
beings,  whose  only  guilt  is,  that  their  ancestors  were  kidnapped  and 
forced  away  across  the  sea  to  be  slaves,  and  that  they  cannot  Ifelp  them- 
selves, and  have  a  skin,  alas  !  darker  than  our  own.  And  yet,  for  the  sake 
of  a  few  paltry  dollars,  to  send  the  gospel  to  the  heathen  —  that  gospel 
which  teaches  us  to  "  do  unto  all  men  as  we  would  they  should  do  unto 
us ''  —  we  must  be  silent,  and  never  plead  the  cause  of  the  suflering  and 
the  oppressed,  who  cannot  and  dare  not  plead  for  their  own  personal 
rights  !  We  have  been  silent,  my  brother,  too  long.  And  for  one,  I  will 
never  consent  either  to  be  tongue-tied  or  pen-lied  in  regard  to  the  sub- 
ject of  slavery.  If  missions  can  be  sustained  only  by  receiving  hush- 
money  in  regard  to  an  enormous  evil  in  the  Southern  States,  then  may 
our  missionary  operations  sink  to  the  bottom  of  the  great  deep.  But 
they  can  and  will  be  sustained,  and  yet  every  man  be  left  to  his  own 
dis(  retion  and  inclination,  whcyi  and  where  he  shall  speak  of  the  sad 
con  equences  which  are  attendant  on  the  holding  of  human  beings  in 
bondage. 

I  have,  my  dear  brother,  no  new  views  ;  nor  do  I  feel  any  new-born 
zeal  springing  up  to  life  within  me.  From  my  earliest  life  I  have 
always  felt  that  I  would  not  hold  a  slave  "  to  fan  and  feed  me,  to  sweat 
and  labor  for  me,  for  all  the  gold  that  blood,  and  bones,  and  sinews  ever 
earned."  Nor  have  I  ever  intended  to  say  or  do  anything  that  would 
contravene  these  inmost  sentiments  of  my  heart.  It  is  true,  I  have 
mingled  with  respectable  and  good  brethren  at  the  south,  and  seeing, 


DR.    sharp's    ABIIORREXCE    OF    SLAVERY.  231 

ov  supposiug  I  Siiu',  the  great  practical  ilifficultics  of  iminocluite  emancipa- 
tion, I  have  sometimes  apologized  for  ihem,  hut  never  for  the  system.  I 
have  done  more.  While  I  have  apologized  for  them,  I  have  never 
hesitated,  on  all  fitting  occasions,  to  say  to  them  that  I  considered 
slavery  a  great  evil,  personal,  social,  and  domestic,  and  have  entreated 
many  of  them  to  use  tlieir  influence  at  once  in  favor  of  and  in  preparing 
the  way  for  the  abolition  of  slavery  at  the  earliest  practicable  moment. 
And  this  I  will  say :  I  was  always  listened  to  with  respect,  and  answered 
with  candor.  I  have  at  times  hoped  tiiat  my  own  friendly  and  tem- 
perate appeals  would  not  be  lost.  But  if,  in  regard  to  missions,  we  can 
have  union  only  with  silence  on  that  subject,  then  I  would  say, — 

"  And  what  is  Union  but  a  naiiio, 
A  charm  that  lulls  to  sleep  ; " 

and  the  sooner  it  is  dissolved  the  better.  As  a  member  of  the  Foreign 
Missionary  Board,  for  the  sake  of  giving  no  offence,  I  have,  no  doubt, 
taiten  a  less  active  part  in  some  of  the  abolition  movements  than  other- 
wise I  might  have  done.  I  thought  that  I  could  really  do  more  good  by 
such  a  course ;  but  as  all  that  has  passed  for  nothing,  I  shall  act  as  may 
seem  good  in  my  own  sight. 

I  have,  as  you  know,  desired  union  and  cooperation  with  our 
brethren  at  the  south  in  regard  to  our  great  denominational  interests, 
but  never  at  the  sacrifice  or  concealment  of  anj^  principle.  I  desire  the 
same  now,  because  in  my  conscience  I  believe  that  we  might  thus  do 
each  other  more  good.  But  I  plainly  see  that  union  and  cooperation 
are  impracticable.  Mj'  hope  now  is,  that  we  shall  separate  in  peace  — 
each  great  section  of  the  denomination  doing  its  own  business  in  its 
own  wa}'.  For  one,  I  will  never  consent  to  be  a  party  to  a  union  which 
can  only  be  maintained  by  secrecy,  management,  and  the  relinquislmient 
of  principle,  nor  of  a  union  which  is  constantly  interrupted  by  jealousies, 
insinuations,  and  bitter  reproaches. 

I  have  expressed  my  astonishment  that  the  south  should  have  taken 
our  letter  in  so  high  dudgeon.  But  I  feel  more  than  astonished  at  the 
communications  of  some  at  the  north.  I  feel  grief,  shame,  and  mortifica- 
tion that  there  can  be  any  who  can  be  all  delicacy  and  reserve  for  fear 
of  offending  slaveholders,  and  have  not  a  word  to  say  in  behalf  of  th.it 
largB  class  of  human  beings,  whose  cries  and  groans,  not  needlessly 
made,  have  gone  and  are  going  up  to  heaven.  I  am  ashamed  tliat  there 
are  men  who  can  censure  the  board  for  informing  the  south,  in  the  most 
respectful  manner,  that  they  could  not  appoint  a  person  as  a  mission- 
ary who  should  insist  on  retaining  his  slaves  as  his  property,  especially 
as  these  very  men  had  declared,  before  that  information  was  given,  that 
they  would  not  vote  for  a  slaveholder  as  a  foreign  missionary. 

I  should  like  to  know,  under  their  own  proper  signatures,  who  are  the 


232  MEMOIR   OF   DB.    STOW. 

men,  in  all  New  England,  who  would  send  out  a  missionary  that  should 
insist  on  leaving  his  slaves  here  to  add  to  his  income  by  unpaid  or  not 
equitably  paid  toils  and  labors.  If  there  be  such  Christian  Baptists, 
let  tliem  come  out,  and  have  their  names  handed  down  to  posterity  as 
the  friends  of  missions,  of  justice,  of  equity,  and  of  humanity. 

As  to  the  letter,  it  has  no  obscurity  to  any  one  who  is  willing  to 
understand  it.  It  needs  no  explanation.  It  explains  itself.  If  any 
brother  feels  that  he  must  give  a  new  version  of  its  secret  or  latent 
meaning,  let  him  do  so  for  himself;  but  I  trust  he  will  not  undertake  to 
explain  the  meaning  of  his  brethren.  If  the  acting  board  were  censured 
at  Providence  for  exceeding  the  constitutional  authority  bestowed  upon 
them  by  the  Convention  in  sending  forth  that  letter,  you  have  my  special 
request  to  tender  my  resignation.  I  should  consider  myself  insulted  and 
disgraced  to  acknowledge  that  I  ever  belonged  to  a  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  who  were  bound  in  honor  by  their  constitution,  or  articles  of 
agreement,  to  send  a  man  forth  as  a  missionary  who  insisted  on  using  or 
on  holding  his  slaves  as  his  property. 

From  the  same. 

Boston,  February  27,  1846. 

My  dear  Brother  :  I  most  cordially  approve  of  the  objects  to  which 
you  have  called  my  attention  in  your  note  of  yesterday.  Were  I  to  follow 
my  own  personal  convictions  and  inclinations,  I  should  probablj'  go  far- 
ther in  the  practical  illustration  of  Christian  union  than  you  are  pre- 
]>arcd  to  go.  And  yet  I  am  so  much  of  a  practical  man  that  I  suppress 
some  of  my  best  feelings  for  the  sake  of  not  disturbing  the  peace  of  my 
own  denomination. 

Having  said  so  much,  I  confess  to  you  that  I  have  but  little,  or  scarce- 
ly any,  confidence  in  conventions  for  any  object.  I  do  not  know,  to  be 
i;ure,  thiit  we  can  altogether  do  without  them.  But,  after  all,  it  is  hu- 
miliating to  hear  men  make  eloquent  speeches  in  favor  of  Christian 
union,  and  proclaiming  that  they  have  met  together  to  attend  the  funeral 
of  Bigotry,  and  yet,  so  soon  as  they  return  from  this  speech-making,  and 
from  this  festive  funeral,  it  would  seem  as  if  Bigotry  had  risen  from  her 
grave,  and  had  followed  those  who  buried  her,  home,  wliispering  in  their 
ears  to  be  very  chary  of  their  attentions  to  ministers  of  the  same  towi; 
who  differ  from  them,  and  not  to  know  them  in  the  streets,  nor  in  com- 
pany, except  by  way  of  patronizing  them  for  the  evening,  and  at  all 
events  to  save  their  speeches,  and  to  do  nothing  towards  promoting  real 
union  until  the  next  great  public  meeting. 

If  I  am  uncharitable  in  tliis  judgment,  the  Lord  forgive  me.  But  all 
I  l.:ive  ever  seen  or  experienced  for  the  last  forty  years  —  save  a  few 
honorable  exceptions  —  has  contributed  to  produce  these  sad  and  discour- 


CHEISTIAN    UNION.  23S 

aging  impressions.  I  grieve  to  liave  tlieni ;  hut  here  they  are  in  the 
raised  letters  of  my  memory,  so  that  were  I  a  pupil  of  the  blind  asylum 
I  could  read  them  by  the  touch  of  my  fingers. 

I  never  was  a  bigot.  My  early  training  and  religious  associations  and 
attachments  kept  me  from  the  spirit  of  bigotry.  I  set  out  in  my  minis- 
terial career  coveting  and  expecting  Christian  union.  I  liave  sincerely 
laid  myself  out  for  it,  and  have  always  made  personal  advances  towards 
it,  so  far  as  I  could  consistently  with  the  harmony  of  my  own  denomi- 
nation;  but,  with  a  few  exceiHions,  it  has  not  yet  come.  I  have  heard 
of  it  at  a  distance,  but  I  have  not  seen  it  and  felt  it  to  be  near.  If  I 
have  thought  it  hud  come  to  me  in  tiie  warm,  and  frank,  and  living  man- 
ifestations of  a  true-hearted  charity  from  Christians  of  other  sects,  and 
liave  exclaimed,  "It  is  good  to  be  hero,"  alas!  the  vision  has  soon  de- 
parted, and  I  have  found  myself  at  the  foot  of  the  mount,  surrounded 
by  other  beings  than  the  "  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect."  Perhaps 
the  fault  has  been  in  me.  It  may  be  in  something  which,  to  other 
Christian  sects,  appears  chilling  and  forbidding  in  our  own  denomination. 
The  absence  of  Christian  union  prevails  to  a  lamentable  extent.  Its 
causes,  if  traced,  would  fill  a  volume.  Perhaps  they  could  not  be  de- 
scribed with  fearless  honesty  without  giving  offence,  and  widening 
breaches  which  already  exist. 

What,  then,  can  be  done  towards  promoting  Christian  union  among 
different  sects.''  It  would,  perhaps,  be  difficult  to  say  what  would  most 
speedily  and  effectively  accomplish  this  blessed  object.  A  public  con- 
vention may  do  some  good  in  placing  this  important  subject  before  the 
world,  but  I  should  rely  more  on  each  Christian  minister  and  on  each 
church  member  carrying  out  the  spirit  of  union  in  their  intercourse 
with  one  another.  Let  there  not  only  be  kindness,  and  candor,  and 
Catholicism  in  the  speeches  of  a  convention,  but  flowing  out  from  the 
lips  and  in  the  actions  of  the  ordinary  and  religious  relations  of  differ- 
ent Christian  sects. 

I  need  not  confess  to  you  that  I  hold  Popery  in  detestation.  It  is  a 
system  of  spiritual  despotism  and  of  gross  superstition,  keeping  the 
great  mass  of  the  people  under  its  sway  in  ignorance  and  in  bondage, 
both  of  mind  and  heart,  and  causing,  by  its  superstitions  and  puerilities, 
the  educated  classes  in  its  communities  to  become  infidels  or  atheists. 
Yet  I  would  not  league  with  otlier  Christians  to  hold  up  even  Popery  to 
opprobrium  and  contempt.  In  so  doing  the  Convention  will  awaken 
bad  passions,  but  create  no  converts.  It  will  strengthen  the  hands  of 
Papists  by  creating  in  the  friends  of  civil  and  of  religious  freedom  a 
sympathy  for  them  as  a  persecuted  people.  I  believe  that  the  warfare 
waged  against  the  Catholics  by  the  agents  of  the  American  Tract  So- 
ciety and  of  the  American  Sunday  School  Union  has  done  more  to  pro- 
mote Popery  than  to  diminish  it.  I  abhor  bigotry  in  Protestants  as 
much  as  I  do  in  Catholics. 


234  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOAV. 

I  have  written  you  with  freedom,  and  shall  love  and  respect  you  none 
tlie  less  if  you  come  to  an  entirely  dift'erent  judgment,  on  any  or  all  of 
these  subjects,  from  myself. 

Should  you  feel  it  your  duty  to  go  to  the  proposed  Convention,  any 
service  that  I  can  render  to  you  or  your  people  will  be  performed  with 
the  gratifying  recollection  of  j'our  great  kindness  in  making  my  late 
and  delightful  visit  to  England  so  free  from  ministerial  perplexity  and 
care. 

I  shall  be  happy  to  converse  with  you  on  this  subject,  or  any  other. 

To  his  brother-in-law,  Deacon  S.  Partridge. 

Boston,  September  1,  1846. 

On  my  return  last  evening  from  Barnstable,  where  I  had  been  spend- 
ing a  few  days  in  public  service,  I  found  sister's  letter  of  the  24th  ult., 
communicating  the  expected  but  dreaded  tidings.  Our  dear  mother  has 
closed  her  earthly  mission!  Her  spirit,  emancipated  from  all  evil,  has 
joined  the  happy,  holy  throng  on  high. 

Though  I  was  quite  certain,  before  I  read  the  letter,  that  it  contained 
the  painful  announcement,  and  endeavored  to  fortify  my  mind  against 
the  shock,  yet,  as  I  passed  down  the  first  page  to  the  last  line,  my  feel- 
ings were  completely  overcome,  and  I  could  hardly  command  myself 
sufficiently  to  proceed  with  the  subsequent  detail  of  facts.  O,  is  it  so? 
Has  that  dear,  precious  mother  gone  from  us?     Are  we  really  orphans? 

I  had  a  wakeful  night.  Her  calm,  sweet  image  was  before  me.  I 
felt  sure  that  if  there  is  a  single  human  soul  in  heaven,  hers  is  there. 
Yes,  and  I  felt  that  heaven  was  nearer  and  dearer  to  me  than  ever. 

0  that  we  may  all  be  profited  by  this  dispensation.  We  shall  soon 
follow.     Lord,  prepare  us  for  thy  right  hand. 

To  Miss  p.  D.  Nettleton. 

Boston,  October  19,  1846. 

1  need  not  say  that  the  decease  of  my  precious  mother  was  a  severe 
affliction.  You  know  the  bitterness  of  that  cup,  and  can  appreciate  my 
feelings.  Though  for  two  years  I  had  expected  the  event,  yet  at  last 
it  came  suddenly,  and  when  I  was  hoping  tliat  I  might  again  see  her. 
But  severe  as  is  the  affliction,  it  is  alleviated  by  many  considerations. 
She  had  finished  her  mission,  and  was  both  prepared  and  desirous  to 
depart.  Not  a  shade  of  doubt  rests  upon  my  mind  in  regard  to  her 
safety.  She  is  in  heaven.  She  is  there  with  her  husband,  and  two  of 
her  children,  and  she  is  with  your  mother,  and  with  a  host  of  the  holy, 
redeemed  by  the  blood  of  the  cross.  Heaven  is  now  more  attractive  to 
me  than  ever. 


FRATERNAL  SYMPATHY.  235 

To  Mrs.  J.  H.  Partridge. 

Boston,  August  20,  1847. 

I  know  not,  my  dear  afflicted  sister,  how  to  write  you,  or  how  to  pray 
for  you,  for  I  am  ignorant  of  your  present  condition,  whether  you  are 
a  widow  or  the  iiappy  wife  of  a  recovering  husband.  My  mind  is  un- 
liinged,  and  yet  I  feel  rebuked  by  tlie  cahnness  and  resignation  wiiich 
you  so  sweetly  manifest.  God  has  done  great  things  for  you,  and  as 
he  is  your  covenant  God  he  will  do  more.  As  your  day,  so  shall  your 
strength  be.  You  remember  what  lie  did  for  our  dear,  dead  niother 
when  she  was  called  to  drink  the  bitter  cup.  How  firm  was  her  trust 
in  the  divine  faithfulness !  how  largely  did  she  experience  the  support 
and  succor  of  the  divine  arm  ! 

My  heart  bleeds  for  you,  and  gladly  would  I  hasten  to  your  side,  and 
share  with  you  in  all  your  sorrows  ;  but  you  have  One  infinitely  better 
to  sympathize  with  you,  and  whisper  in  your  ear  the  words  of  comfort. 
He  says,  "  I  will  be  with  thee;  yea,  I  will  help  thee;  yea,  I  will  strength- 
en thee ;  I  will  uphold  thee  with  the  right  hand  of  my  righteousness ;  " 
"I  will  never  leave  thee  nor  forsake  thee." 

My  dear  sister,  you  are  on  the  Rock  of  Ages.  There  rest  with  your 
whole  weiglit.  It  will  bear  up  yourself,  your  family,  your  cares  and 
burdens. 

To  the  same. 

Boston,   September  3,  1847. 

Yours  of  various  dates,  containing  the  sorrowful  intelligence  of  your 
and  our  loss,  came  to  hand  this  morning.  The  information  was  not  un- 
expected. Ever  since  the  receipt  of  your  letter,  dated  two  weeks  be- 
fore the  last  date  of  this,  I  have  anticipated  the  result,  and  daily  prayed 
for  you  as  probably  "  a  lone  widow."  And  yet  I  was  unprepared  for 
the  tidings.  That  black  seal  sent  a  pang  to  my  heart;  and,  as  I  walked 
home  from  the  post-office,  I  felt  oppressed  by  a  burden  that  well  nigh 
crushed  me  to  the  ground. 

My  nervous  system  has  been  for  two  weeks  in  a  shattered  state,  and  I 
am  now  too  much  agitated  to  write  as  my  feelings  would  prompt  me.  I 
cannot  take  that  religious  view  of  the  dispensation  with  which  j'ou 
seem  to  be  favored.  My  mind  is  perturbed,  and  I  cannot  pray  with 
anything  like  Christian  composure. 

Of  one  thing  you  may  be  certain.  Our  hearts  bleed  with  sympathy 
for  you  and  your  children,  and  we  long  to  know  how,  after  the  lapse  of 
a  few  days,  j'ou  bear  up  under  the  pressure.  By  this  time  you  see  and 
feel  the  vacancy  in  your  circle ;  but  we  are  sure  that  He  who  has  thus 
far  sustained  you  will  be  faitliful  to  help  you  entirely  through  the*  deep 
waters.     Lean  with  your  wihole  weight  on  the  omnipotent  arm. 


236  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

How  sweet  the  thought  that  he  whom  we  loved  sa  well  is  now  safe 
at  liome,  free  from  all  evil,  and  perfectly  happy  forever!  He  is  with  our 
dear  parents  and  brother.  That  group  is  increasing  in  numbers.  Who 
will  be  the  next  to  join  it?  Are  we  all  ready  to  depart  and  be  with 
Christ? 

After  Dr.  Stow  sent  in  his  resignation  as  pastor  of  the 
Baldwin  Phxce  Church,  an  effort  was  made  on  the  part  of  both 
the  church  and  society  to  induce  him  to  recall  his  letter. 
The  following  is  the  communication  sent  to  him  by  the  church. 
It  shows  how  deep  and  strong  was  the  affection  cherished  for 
him,  who  for  so  many  years  had  labored  for  their  spiritual 
welfare. 

Boston,  May  25,  1848. 

Dear  Brother  :  Would  that  we  could  still  address  you 
by  the  endeared  title  of  pastor !  But  by  an  act  of  yours  dic- 
tated by  a  sense  of  duty,  we  are  deprived  of  this  privilege, 
which  we  have  so  many  years  enjoyed. 

The  copy  of  the  letter  addressed  by  you  to  the  Baldwin 
Place  Church  and  Society,  resigning  your  pastoral  office,  was 
submitted  to  the  church  on  Tuesday  evening ;  and  the  under- 
signed were  appointed  a  committee  to  express  the  earnest 
desire  of  the  church  that  you  would  reconsider  the  step  you 
have  taken,  and,  if  possible,  recall  your  resignation. 

The  duty  with  which  we  are  charged  is  one  which  we 
cheerfully  undertake,  and  we  would  fain  hope  to  meet  with  suc- 
cess. We  are  fully  aware  that  your  resignation  is  the  result 
of  mature  deliberation,  and  is  intended  to  be  positive  and 
peremptory ;  and  it  is  on  this  account  that  we  approach  the 
subject  with  unfeigned  delicacy.  We  do  not  design  to  in. 
tcrfere  with  your  convictions  of  duty.  We  would  not  urge 
our  request  so  far  as  to  tempt  you  to  swerve  from  the  path 
Avhich  God  shall  open  before  you.  Your  conscience  we  will 
leave  free  and  untrammelled,  and  will  simply  lay  before  you 
such  considerations  as  may  possibly  have  sufficient  weight 
as  to*  lead  you  to  change  your  views  as  to  what  may  be  duty. 

You  say  in  your  communication,  that  "  during  the  last  four 


EARNEST    PLEADINGS    OF    HIS    CHURCH.  237 

raontha,  other  coiisiderutions,  of  a  very  emphatic  kind,  lir.ve 
contributed,  with  my  impaired  health,  to  settle  my  convic- 
tions that  my  continuance  as  your  pastor  is  incompatible 
with  both  my  usefulness  and  happiness."  You  well  know 
—  for  your  eyes  beheld  the  gush  of  feeling  which  this  an- 
nouncement produced  upon  the  congregation  —  we  simply 
state  the  truth  when  we  say  that  we  have  no  recollection  of 
any  occasion  on  which  such  intense  and  painful  emotions 
Avere  produced  on  the  congregation  as  were  caused  by  the 
reading  of  that  paragraph.  We  would  have  wept  in  silence, 
and  have  been  resigned  to  the  Avill  of  God,  had  the  fact  of 
your  impaired  health  alone  rendered  the  step  you  have  taken 
necessary ;  but,  dear  pastor, — for  we  must  still  call  you  by  t  jat 
endeared  name,  —  we  cannot  be  resigned  to  such  a  separation. 
That  the  time  has  arrived  when  your  happiness  renders  your 
removal  from  the  Baldwin  Place  Church  necessary,  is  too 
much  for  us  to  admit. 

When  we  recollect  the  years  of  labor  which  you  have  de- 
voted to  us,  "  toiling  in  season  and  out  of  season,"  in  the 
pulpit,  in  the  sick  chamber,  by  the  bedside  of  the  dying,  and 
with  the  mourning  group,  performing  every  duty  with  faithful- 
ness and  assiduity,  and  a  most  untiring  zeal,  we  feel  that  we 
have  been  a  people  fovored  of  God.  If  warnings  have  been 
needed,  you  have  not  hesitated  to  warn  and  admonish  in 
faithfulness ;  if  encouragement  has  been  necessary,  you  have 
deliuhtcd  to  impart  it ;  and  if  afHictions  have  visited  us,  how 
many  can  testify,  as  you  have  sat  by  their  bedsides,  ad- 
ministering the  cheering  consolations  of  the  gospel,  or  as  you 
liave  made  one  of  our  little  mourning  groups  ovei-  the  coffin 
of  «;ome  dear  one,  mingling  your  tears  with  ours,  that  you 
ha\  e  been  as  ready  to  sympathize  with  us  in  our  afflictions 
as  to  rejoice  in  our  prosperity !  What  people  have  been  more 
blessed  with  a  faithful  and  devoted  pastor  ?  And  now,  as 
the  accumulated  labors  of  years  have  borne  you  down  under 
their  crushing  weight,  and  we  see  you  fainting  and  exhausted 
from  incessant  toil,  how  can  we  help  feeling  for  you  ?  When 
our  pastor  suffers,  his  people  suffer.     They  feel  that  they  are 


238  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

one  with  him ;  and  as  he  has  been  a  strong  pillar  in  the  day 
of  his  strength,  so,  in  the  day  of  his  trial,  will  they  be  to  him 
a  sovirce  of  comfort  and  support. 

We  accept  the  pledge  of  unabated  attachment  which  you 
have  given  us  in  your  communication,  and  in  return  we 
tender  you  the  pledge  of  our  unwavering  attachment  and 
undiminished  confidence ;  and  whatever  else  may  befall  you, 
be  assured  that  never  shall  the  faithful  and  devoted  pastor, 
in  the  day  of  his  affliction,  be  forgotten  by  a  grateful  and 
affectionate  people. 

May  we  not  hope  that,  after  re-deliberation  on  this  sub- 
ject, you  may  find  the  path  of  duty  plain  for  you  to  recall 
your  resignation  ? 

In  behalf  of  the  church, 

Samuel  Beal, 
Jonx  C.  Pratt.  • 

We  shall  have  occasion  hereafter  to  see  that  Dr.  Stow 
never  ceased  to  feel  and  manifest  the  liveliest  interest  in  the 
fortunes  of  the  Baldwin  Place  Church.  In  all  its  spiritual 
prosperity  he  rejoiced,  and  as  the  dark  days,  which  he  foresaw 
must  inevitably  come  in  its  history,  cast  their  shadows  over 
the  religious  society  for  which  he  had  labored  for  so  many 
years,  he  sympathized  with  his  brethren,  and  gave  them  the 
benefit  of  his  wise  counsel.  And  when  the  church  started  out 
in  its  new  career,  and  pitched  its  tabernacle  in  another  sec- 
tion of  Jhe  cily,  no  one  bade  it  a  warmer  "  God  speed"  than 
did  their  old  and  well-beloved  pastor. 

Passing  over  the  events  of  the  next  three  months,  we  come 
to  a  record  in  Dr.  Stow's  journal,  under  date  of  October  5,  in 
which  he  tells  us  that  on  the  morning  of  that  day  he  received 
a  call  from  a  committee  of  the  Pierrepont  Street  Church  in 
Brooklyn,  X.  Y.,  who  were  the  bearers  of  a  unanimous  invita- 
tion to  him  to  become  the  j^astor  of  that  church.  For  reasons 
which  we  shall  presently  understand,  he  declined  the  call. 
A  few  days  after  the  committee  from  Brooklyn  waited  upon 
him,   another    committee,    rejiresenting    the    Rowe    Street 


•''It         ■  ft  '  Ksstaw  ^  ■  I 


l^ 


ROWE    STREET    CHURCH,  BOSTON. 


ACCEPTS    THK    CALL    TO    ROWE    STKEET.  239 

Church  Ttnd  Society,  vit^ited  liim,  ns  the  beiirers  of  a  cull  from 
this  ehurcli  to  become  tlieir  pastor.  This  was  the  third  call 
which  he  had  received  since  the  opening  of  the  year,  tlie  tirst 
having  been  extended  to  him  by  the  Jamaica  Plain  Church. 
His  feelings  with  reference  to  the  last  two  he  has  thus  ex- 
pressed :  — 

October  12.  I  am  oppressed  by  a  heavy  burden  of  responsibility.  I 
wisli  to  do  right — just  that  which  will  please  God.  How  can  I  best  as- 
certain his  will  ?  His  Book  supplies  principles,  and  his  providence  gives 
indications.  How  shall  I  interpret  them  in  reference  to  my  own  case? 
How  can  I  get  light  but  by  prayer?  Will  not  God  hear  the  cry  of  his 
servant,  and  illume  the  path  of  duty?  This  afternoon,  had  an  inter- 
view with  Dr.  Sharp,  and  received  from  him  expressions  of  kindness 
and  friendly  opinions,  which  were  a  balm  to  my  aching  heart.  How 
valuable  is  such  a  counsellor !  May  I  never  prove  myself  unworthy  of 
his  friendship. 

October  16.  In  regard  to  one  of  the  situations  offered  me,  I  have 
decided.  Both  are  very  desirable  as  fields  for  useful  labor.  Both  propose 
the  same  salary.  But  the  reasons  for  my  continuance  in  Boston  seem 
greatly  to  overbalance  all  others,  and  I  have  accordingly  declined  in  a 
letter  of  this  date  tlie  invitation  from  Brookl^-n. 

October  19.  Delivered  to  the  Hon.  Heman  Lincoln,  chairman  of  the 
committee  of  the  Rowe  Street  Church  and  Society,  my  reply,  accepting 
their  invitation.  I  trust  my  decision  has  the  approval  of  the  Head  of 
the  church.  My  anticipations  of  success  are  not  very  sanguine;  yet, 
having  weighed  well  the  whole  subject,  and  received  the  advice  of  the 
most  judicious  counsellors,  I  feel  satisfied  with  my  decision,  and  hope 
for  the  best  results.     To  God  I  commit  myself,  praying  for  his  blessing. 

The  transfer  of  Dr.  Stow  from  the  Baldwin  Place  Church 
to  Rowe  Street  was  a  removal  to  a  scene  of  ministerial  labor 
for  which  he  was  admirably  adapted,  and  in  which  he  found 
himself  surrounded  by  old  and  loving  friends.  He  Avas  still 
to  remain  in  the  city  to  which  he  was  so  much  attached,  and 
in  which  he  had  given  to  the  cause  of  Chri§t  the  i:)rime  of 
his  years  and  the  best  eiforts  of  his  mind  and  heart.  The  in- 
fluence which  he  had  acquired  on  account  of  the  prominent 
position  he  had  occupied,  which  had  led  to  his  being  held  in 
so  much  respect  and  affection  by  his  brethren  in  the  ministry 
all  over  Xcw  England,  he  was  not  only  to  retain,  but  very 


240  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

greatly  strengthen.  His  valuable  experience  as  a  wise  coun 
seller  and  manager  of  the  affairs  of  the  Missionary  Union 
was  still  to  be  felt  at  the  seat  of  its  operations.  The  ties  by 
which  he  had  bound  liimself  to  a  variety  of  causes  and  insti- 
tutions were  to  remain  unbroken.  There  was  a  creneral  re- 
joicing  that  Boston  was  still  to  be  the  home  of  Dr.  Stow,  and 
that  in  the  city  of  his  adoption  he  was  to  continue  as  an  am- 
bassador of  Christ.  Easily  and  naturally  he  fell  into  the 
6]3here  which  God  had  evidently  marked  out  for  him,  and  at 
once  girded  himself  afresh  to  the  Avork  which  a  gracious 
Providence  had  assigned  to  liim. 

A  few  extracts  from  his  journal  will  introduce  our  readers 
to  Dr.  Stow  at  the  commencement  of  his  ministry  in  Rowe 
Street.  The  peculiarities  of  his  character  are  at  once  revealed 
to  us  —  his  love  of  order,  his  regard  for  special  anniversary 
days,  his  intense  desire  to  secure  the  cooperation  of  the  church 
in  the  promotion  of  the  w^ork  upon  whicli  he  had  entered,  and 
his  earnest  longing  for  the  spiritual  prosperity  of  the  people 
over  whom  the  Saviour  had  placed  him  as  a  watchman. 

October  2i.  Twenty-one  years  ago  to-day  I  was  ordained  to  the 
work  of  tlie  ministry.  Sixteen  years  ago  this  evening  I  resigned  as  pas- 
tor of  the  church  in  Portsmoutli.  This  evening  I  talce  my  letter  of  dis- 
mission from  the  Baldwin  Place  Church,  for  the  purpose  of  joining  the 
Rowe  Street.  Read  portions  of  Upham's  Life  of  Madame  Guyon. 
She  was  doubtless  a  very  sincere  woman,  but  her  piety  does  not  seem 
to  have  much  solidity.  It  is  quite  too  fanciful  in  its  principles,  and  too 
mystical  in  its  spirit.  It  professes  to  deal  too  directly  with  God,  and 
makes  too  little  of  the  Bible,  and  too  little  of  the  mediation  of  Christ. 
It  is  Quietism  sublimated.  One  page  of  good  Robert  Leighton  is  worth 
more  than  tlie  wiiole  of  these  two  volumes. 

October  25.  This  has  been  a  day  of  noise  and  confusion  without. 
The  water  has  been  introduced  by  the  new  aqueduct  from  Cochituate 
Lake,  in  Framingliam,  and  the  occasion  has  been  celebrated  with  great 
pomp  and  ceremoay.  I  liave  kept  close  at  home,  and  written  a  sermon 
upon  Romans  xv.  29.  God  lias  been  witii  me,  and  I  have  enjoyed  more 
than  in  any  day  for  many  months.  So  far  as  I  can  learn,  my  decision 
to  remain  in  Boston  is  generally  approved.  Many  of  ni}'^  late  flock  have 
expressed  the  most  earnest  satisfaction. 

December  12.  This  evening  the  church  met  by  special  invitation 
from  the  pastor.     Though  the  weather  was  very  threatening,  the  attend- 


JOURNAL.  241 

ance  was  liberal.  I  occupied  nearly  the  whole  evening  in  a  statement 
of  my  own  views  and  feelings  witli  respect  to  the  conversion  of  sinners, 
and  an  expression  of  my  wislies  as  to  the  cooperation  of  the  individual 
members.     May  God  bless  the  effort  to  some  good  end. 

January  1,  1849.  My  soul  burns  with  desire  for  the  conversion  of 
souls.  Will  not  God  appear  for  us,  and  by  his  Holy  Spirit  awaken  the 
dead  in  sin?  May  we  not  experience  the  reviving  power  operating  on 
all  hearts,  and  causing  many  to  rejoice  in  God's  salvation? 

March  1.  Morning.  This  day  has  been  set  apart  by  several  pastors 
and  others  as  a  day  of  humiliation,  fasting,  and  prayer,  with  special  ref- 
erence to  the  low  state  of  religion  in  our  churches.  The  meetings  are 
to  be  held  in  Bowdoin  Square.  O  that  our  hearts  may  be  broken  before 
God,  and  that  we  may  pray  for  the  Holy  Spirit  with  a  deep  sense  of  our 
need,  .and  faith  in  the  divine  promises  1  Lord,  I  would  not  think  of  the 
sins  of  others,  but  of  my  own  sins.  I  would  myself  be  humble  and 
penitent  before  tiiee.  I  would  forgive  all  others,  as  I  hope  to  be  for- 
given by  thee.  At  ten  and  a  half,  met,  with  a  large  number  of  ministers 
and  others,  in  the  vestry  of  Bowdoin  Square  Church.  The  place  was 
crowded.  There  seemed  to  be  considerable  feeling,  but  it  lacked  con- 
centration. The  prayers  and  exhortations  were  long  and  discursive. 
O,  why  not  all  bow  together  before  the  throne,  and  ask  for  the  Holy 
Spirit? 

March  8.  A  brother  called  to  inform  me  of  the  effect  of  some  of  my 
remarks  at  the  monthly  concert  last  Sabbath  evening.  He  confessed 
he  had  not  contributed  to  foreign  missions  according  to  his  ability,  and 
said  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  give  five  hundred  dollars  immediately 
to  that  object.  A  brother  from  Philadelphia  was  present  on  Sabbath 
evening.  He  called  at  the  Mission  Kooms  to-day,  and  said  he  had  decided 
to  add  a  hundred  dollars  to  his  annual  contribution. 

May  27.  Preached  twice ;  baptized  six  j'oung  persons.  The  morn- 
ing service  had  a  full  attendance,  and  the  audience  seemed  to  be  deeply 
affected  by  the  services.  I  pray  the  impression  may  be  permanent,  and 
Christ  may  multiply  among  us  the  trophies  of  his  grace. 

June  30.  I  have  had  some  sweet  reflections  while  preparing  a  dis- 
course from  Matt.  xi.  28  —  "  Come  unto  me,"  &c.  I  have  several  times 
preached  from  these  precious  words,  and  in  each  instance  have  prepared 
a  new  sermon.  I  have  also  had  more  enjoyment  in  prayer  than  usual. 
God  has  seemed  nep.r,  and  I  could  speak  to  him  with  freedom  and  fa- 
miliarity. When  we  have  the  spirit  of  adoption,  and  can  cry,  "  Abba, 
Father,"  how  easy,  how  refreshing  is  prayer! 

August  21.  Four  were  received  into  the  church  by  letter,  and  two  as 
candidates  for  baptism,  last  evening,  thus  making  fifty  additions  since 
my  settlement. 

16 


242  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

September  22.  How  delightful  to  see  those  who  profess  to  be  con' 
verted  under  my  ministry  get  safely  through,  leaving  no  stain  upon 
their  profession  !  I  hope  to  meet  many  such  in  heaven.  The  Lord  in 
mercy  give  me  more,  as  the  seals  of  my  ministry. 

October  14.  A'  very  pleasant  Sabbath.  Preached  twice  to  a  full 
house,  and  attended  the  evening  praj^er  meeting,  which  was  unusually 
full  and  interesting.  O  that  tlie  Spirit  of  God  might  descend  upon  this 
people,  and  work  in  them  the  needed  changes  !  How  utterly  impotent 
am  I !  The  din  of  the  world  drowns  my  voice,  and  I  am  like  an  insect 
buzzing  among  thunders. 

These  extracts,  and  many  others  like  them  scattered 
through  the  journal  of  Dr.  Stow  which  covers  the  j^eriod 
now  under  review,  bring  him  to  our  notice  as  the  anxious 
pastor  of  the  flock  over  which  he  had  been  set  by  the 
Great  Shepherd.  How  he  longs  for  the  prosperity  of  Zion ! 
With  what  joy  he  hails  every  token  of  the  divine  pres- 
ence, and  with  what  sadness  he  marks  every  indication  of 
the  departure  of  the  Holy  Spirit  from  his  church !  Above 
all,  how  he  examines  his  own  heart  with  a  scrutiny  bor- 
dering almost,  at  times,  on  the  morbid,  lest  he,  by  jiositive 
sin,  or  by  wicked  neglect  of  duty,  may  have  driven  the 
heavenly  Comforter  away!  And  the  history  of  the  months 
of  toil  shows  that  a  continual  blessing  followed  his  faithful 
labors.  The  church,  if  it  did  not  come  up  to  his  ideal 
standard,  was,  nevertheless,  greatly  quickened.  Souls  were 
converted.  The  worship  of  the  sanctuary  was  invested 
with  new  charms,  and  no  one  who  came  within  the  sacred 
influence  coitld  fail  to  notice  the  signs  of  the  presence  of 
Him  who  is  ever  to  be  worshipj)ed  "  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 


HANNA's    life    of    DK.    CHALMERS.  243 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

Chalmers's  Memoir.  —  Inner  Life.  — A  Harvest  Year.  —  Thk 
Spiritual  Physician.  —  Record  of  twenty-five  Years.  —  Death 
OF  Dr.  Sharp.  —  "First  Things."  —  Call  to  Brookline.  —  Let- 
ter TO  the  Executive  Comjiittee  of  the  Missionary  Union.  — 
Record  of  the  Year. 

1850-1855. 

If  we  do  not  dwell,  in  minute  detail,  on  the  events  which 
occurred  during  the  first  two  or  three  years  of  Dr.  Stow's 
ministry  at  Rowe  Street,  it  is  not  because  these  events  are 
wanting  in  interest,  but  because  there  is  so  great  a  uniformity 
in  their  occurrence,  that  the  experience  of  one  week,  or  one 
month,  is  nearly  like  that  of  every  week,  and  every  month. 
He  loves  his  work,  and  delights  in  the  round  of  ministerial 
and  pastoral  labor,  which  he  is  called  to  ])crform,  more  than 
in  anything  else.  "I  have  not  the  ambition,"  he  writes, 
"I  once  had  to  appear  on  the  platform,  and  address  large, 
promiscuous  assemblies.  The  pulpit,  the  prayer  meeting,  and 
pastoral  visitation  comprise  my  field  of  sympathy  and  labor." 
Under  date  of  November  12,  1850,  he  makes  an  interesting 
record  of  the  efiect  produced  on  his  mind  by  the  perusal  of 
Dr.  Hanna's  Life  of  Dr.  Chalmers. 

November  12.  Read  in  Chalmers's  Life  this  morning  that  partwiiich 
relates  to  the  great  change  in  his  views  of  the  plan  of  salvation.  His 
private  journal  gives  a  clear  view  of  the  process.  Struck  with  the  in- 
fluence certain  books  had  in  the  direction  of  his  mind,  such  as  Wilber- 
force's  Practical  View,  Scott's  Force  of  Trutii,  and  Hannah  More's 
Practical  Piety.  Interested  to  see  how  his  theology,  after  his  change, 
corresponded  with  that  which  I  liave  for  years  been  preaching  —  Christ 
crucified,  the  foundation,  and  faith  in  him,  as  indispensable  to  pardon 
and  practical  holiness.  O  that  Calvary  may  ever  be  the  position  from 
which  I  shall  study,  preach,  pray,  and  engage  in  every  good  work ! 


244  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

November  27.  Eead  in  Chalmers's  Life.  More  and  more  pleased  with 
the  evangelical  spirit  of  that  great  and  good  man.  I  like  exceedingly 
his  views  of  Christ  as  the  only  ground  of  a  sinner's  trust  for  acceptance 
with  God.  I  am  delighted  also  to  see  how  little  he  was  injured  by  his 
popularity.  How  different  his  case  from  that  of  his  countryman, 
Edward  Irving!     Grace  made  the  difference. 

November  28.  Read  in  volume  second  of  Chalmers's  Life.  Much  is 
said  of  his  laboriousness  and  his  eloquence,  but  little  of  the  conver- 
sion of  souls  under  his  ministry.  These  great  men  render  other  ser- 
vice to  the  cause  of  Christianity,  but  they  are  too  popular  to  be  directly 
useful  in  awakening  sinners  and  leading  them  to  Christ. 

At  a  later  date  he  gives  us  an  insight  into  his  inner  life, 
which  might  lead  us  to  question  whether  the  views  which  he 
would  probably  advance,  if  he  were  preaching  a  sermon  on 
"progressive  sanctification,"  would  be  corroborated  by  his 
own  experience.  What  shall  be  said  of  such  a  record  as  the 
following?  Payson  and  other  eminently  holy  men  have 
expressed  themselves  in  the  same  way.  Can  we  ascribe 
these  feelings  to  nervous  depression?  Shall  we  conclude 
that  they  who  have  them  are  less  loved  by  Him  who  "pitieth 
them  that  fear  him  "  ?  Will  our  readers  who  believe  in  the 
"higher  life"  confidently  assert  that  a  simpler  foith  in  Christ 
would  have  lifted  him  up  to  that  loftier  plane  on  which  it  was 
his  privilege,  as  it  is  that  of  every  Christian,  to  stand  ?  We 
will  not  speculate,  but  let  Dr.  Stow  speak  for  himself. 

May  27,  185L  Eead  a  portion  of  my  diary  for  1838.  I  do  not  feel  as 
I  did  then.  I  fear  I  have  deteriorated  in  my  piety.  I  never  had  much  — 
it  seems  now  as  if  I  had  less  than  ever.  I  have  not  a  lively  sense  of 
divine  things.  I  have  very  little  of  the  spirit  of  prayer.  I  am  not  so 
much  concerned  for  souls  as  formerly.  I  do  not  so  deeply  realize  my 
responsibilities  as  a  Christian  and  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  I  am  more 
sluggish  in  my  affections,  and  less  energetic  in  my  efforts.  O  God,  help 
ine,  by  thy  Spirit,  to  examine  my  case,  and  review  the  process  by  which 
I  have  so  greatly  declined.  I  know  that  my  mind  has  been  too  much 
distracted  by  a  diversity  of  objects,  many  of  which  are  extraneous  to  my 
particular  charge.  I  am  connected  with  too  many  boards  and  com- 
mittees. My  time  is  cut  up  into  fragments,  and  I  am  driven  rapidly 
from  one  thing  to  another,  so  that  I  do  nothing  well,  and  have  little 
fixedness  of  attention  to  my  one  paramount  class  of  duties.  I  do  not 
read  the  Scriptures,  or  meditate,  or  pray  so  much  as  I  ought;  I  do  not 


LAMENTS    OVER    SPIRITUAL   DECLENSION.  245 

live  for  eternity  as  I  sliould ;  consequently  I  am  backslidden  in  heart. 
O  that  I  might  realize  my  condition  and  my  danger!  I  am  vile  in  the 
sight  of  God.  May  I  see  more  of  my  own  vileness,  and  abhor  it,  and  so 
repent  as  to  secure  forgiveness.  My  public  services,  as  well  as  my 
private  devotions,  lack  spirituality.  O  God,  grant  me  thy  grace.  With- 
out thy  Spirit  to  work  in  me,  I  shall  decline  more  and  more.  Lord, 
help  me  now  to  repent  and  turn  to  thee  with  my  whole  heart.  • 

In  the  journal  and  letters  of  Dr.  Stow  the  readers  of  this 
Memoh*  will  find  many  a  record  like  this,  as  the  years  pass 
away.  There  is  an  expression  of  deep  regret  that  the  reli- 
gious sensibilities  seem  to  be  growing  more  dull,  the  percep- 
tion of  divine  things  less  clear  and  less  sharply  defined. 
While  in  the  earlier  stages  of  Christian  experience,  it  was 
anticipated  that  the  maturer  life  of  the  disciple  of  Jesus 
would  be  marked  by  greater  delicacy,  and  a  more  distinct 
consciousness  of  glowing  emotion  and  pious  feeling,  the  Chris- 
tian finds  that  his  real  experience  does  not  correspond  with 
his  cherished  expectations.  No  man  has  traced  with  more 
accuracy  the  philosophy  of  these  phases  in  the  life  of  a  Chris- 
tian than  Bishop  Butler.  "  From  our  very  faculty  of  habits," 
he  remarks,  "passive  impressions,  by  being  repeated,  grow 
weaker.  Thoughts,  by  often  passing  through  the  mind,  are 
felt  less  sensibly :  being  accustomed  to  danger,  begets  in- 
trepidity, i.  e.,  lessens  fear ;  to  distress,  lessens  the  passion 
of  pity ;  to  instances  of  mortality,  lessens  the  sensible  appre- 
hension of  our  own.  And  from  these  two  observations  to- 
gether, that  practical  habits  are  formed  and  strengthened  by 
repeated  acts,  and  that  passive  impressions  grow  weaker  by 
being  repeated  upon  us,  it  must  follow  that  active  habits 
may  be  gradually  forming  and  strengthening  by  a  course  of 
acting  upon  such  and  such  motives  and  excitements,  whilst 
these  motives  and  excitements  themselves  are,  by  propor- 
tionable degrees,  growing  less  sensible,  i.  e.,  are  continually 
less  and  less  sensibly  felt,  even  as  the  active  habits  strength- 
en." In  these  remarks  of  Butler  there  is  matter  for  profound 
thought.  Had  they  been  carefully  considered  by  the  subject 
of  these  Memoirs,  he  might  have  found  in  the  busy  activity 


246  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

of  the  life  which  he  was  now  Uving  a  sufficient  reason  foi 
what  he  regarded  as  the  deadening  of  his  religious  sensibili- 
ties. "While  his  active  habits  were  strengthening,  and  he 
was  conscientiously  working  iu  such  fields  of  labor  as  his 
Master  opened  to  him,  the  passive  impressions,  the  kind  of 
emotions,  which  were  awakened  in  his  heart  in  the  earlier  days 
of  his  ministi-y,  he  was  not  conscioiis  of  feeling  in  their  origi- 
nal force.  That  the  great  JDr^>^c^/:)/es  by  which  a  minister  of 
Christ  should  be  governed  in  doing  his  work,  were  becoming 
constantly  rooted  in  his  very  nature,  no  one  can  doubt ;  and 
if  he  complained  because  he  detected  the  absence  of  the 
warmth  and  earnestness  which  characterized  the  first  years 
of  his  professional  life,  he  complained  of  that,  the  existence 
of  Avhich  could  be  accounted  for  by  the  workings  of  a  law  as 
certain  in  its  operation  as  the  law  of  gravity.  A  record  in 
his  journal  of  December  27,  1851,  exhibits  so  clearly  what 
we  think  should  be  the  spirit  with  which  the  servant  of  the 
Lord  should  engage  in  the  great  work  to  which  he  is  called, 
that  we  cannot  forbear  to  quote  it. 

A  Sabbath  school  teaclier  called  to  inquire  how  she  could  be  the  most 
useful  to  her  class.     I  could  tell  her  only  three  ways  :  — 

Eirst.     Plainly,  tenderly,  earnestly  exhibit  the  whole  truth. 

Second.  Sustain  your  teaching  by  a  corresponding  spirit  and  manner 
of  life. 

Third.  Commit  the  whole  case  to  God,  and  pray  fervently,  per- 
severingly,  and  with  faith,  for  his  blessing. 

Deep  as  may  be  our  anxiety  for  sinners,  there  are  limitations  to  our 
responsibility.  When  we  have  done  all  we  can,  it  is  both  pious  and 
wise  to  submit  the  whole  to  tlie  sovereign  wisdom  and  grace  of  God. 
O,  let  me  ever  lie  low  at  God's  feet,  and  while  I  petition  and  plead,  still 
submit,  adore,  and  trust.  God  of  mercy,  the  souls  of  my  people  are 
dear  to  me ;  but  how  much  dearer  are  they  to  thee !  How  much  hast 
thou  loved  them !  how  much  hast  thou  done  for  them !  Though  I  ata 
grieved  at  their  impenitence  and  hardness  of  heart,  yet  may  I  not  c 
impatient  towards  tliee.  My  theory  is,  None  but  God  can  convert  a  sin- 
gle soul ;  let  me  conform  my  j)ractice  to  the  theory ;  let  me  look  to  God 
for  help,  and  rely  entirely  on  his  power.  O  that  I  migiit  do  this  froia 
the  heart. 


CALLS    FKOM   INQUIRERS.  247 

The  year  1852  was  a  harvest  year.  A  quiet  work  of  grace 
commenced  at  the  beginnhig  of  the  year,  the  blessed  fruits  of 
which  kept  developing  as  the  mouths  passed  away.  Of  his 
method  of  dealing  with  anxious  souls  we  give  the  following 
illustrations  :  — 

March  1.  At  twelve  M.  a  young  lady  called,  borne  down  under  a 
heavy  burden  of  conscious  guilt,  seeming  to  need  nothing  but  the  direc- 
tion given  to  the  jailer,  "  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou 
shalt  be  saved."  I  presented  before  her  Christ  as  a  Saviour  of  sinners, 
and  submitted  the  question,  "  Will  you  now  renounce  the  world  and 
sin,  and  consecrate  yourself  to  Christ,  depending  on  him  for  acceptance 
witli  God,  and  serving  him  while  life  lasts?"  She  reflected  a  moment, 
then  burst  into  tears,  and  said,  "  I  will ;  I  have  done  it!  Christ  is  mine, 
and  I  am  his!"  O,  what  a  thrill  shot  through  my  soul !  I  felt  that 
Christ  was  near,  receiving  a  new-born  soul.  Her  countenance  bright- 
ened. "  O,  what  a  change  !  "  she  said ;  "  ray  burden  is  gone  :  twenty-five 
years  I  have  lived  in  sin.  How  could  I  have  so  treated  God?  I  deserve 
his  displeasure ;  but  Christ  has  accepted  me.  I  will  endeavor  to  be  a 
faithful  Christian."  I  conversed  further  with  her,  and  prayed  with  her, 
and  she  left  me,  calm,  peaceful,  hopeful.  How  can  I  doubt  the  power 
and  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit? 

In  the  afternoon  a  young  lady.  Miss  S.,  called,  heavily  burdened  with 
a  sense  of  guilt,  earnestly  inquiring  what  she  must  do  to  inherit  eternal 
life.  She  is  from  Somersetshire,  England.  She  seemed  to  have  no  idea 
of  the  gospel  plan  of  salvation.  She  supposed  she  had  many  things  to 
do  in  order  to  be  good,  and  such  things  as  would  require  time.  I  ex- 
plained to  her  as  clearly  as  I  could  the  method  of  grace;  but  she  was 
slow  to  believe  that  Christ  would  accept  her  until  she  should  become 
"  better."  Though  apparently  intelligent,  she  was  deplorably  ignorant. 
When  informed  of  the  simple  requirement,  "to  believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,"  she  inquired  with  earnestness,  "Is  that  all?  Have  I 
nothing  to  do?"  For  nearly  an  hour  and  a  half  I  kept  the  Saviour 
before  her  mind  as  her  only  refuge,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  her 
mind  gradually  receiving  the  truth.  Her  errors,  one  after  anotiicr, 
yielded,  till  at  last  the  question  was  pressed,  "  Will  you  now  give  up  all 
idea  of  helping  yourself,  and  cast  your  guilty  soul  on  Christ,  and  trust 
in  him  for  salvation?"  Then  she  hesitated.  "Is  not  Christ  aWe  to 
save  you?  "  "  Yes,  I  believe  he  is."  "  Well,  is  he  notwilling?"  She 
was  doubtful.  "  How  can  he  be  willing  to  save  me  as  I  am  —  O,  such  a 
sinner?"  The  struggle  was  long  and  hard.  I  prayed  with  her,  and  when 
I  had  concluded,  she  did  not  rise,  but  for  some  minutes  continued  kneel- 
ing and  weei)ing.   When  she  rose  she  proposed  seeing  me  again  to-morrow 


248  MEMOIR   OF   DK.    STOW. 

or  Monday.  I  inquired  if  she  was  sure  the  Holy  Spirit  would  continue 
with  lier  if  she  postponed  her  decision.  This  was  a  new  thought.  She 
sat  down  overpowered.  I  presented  Christ  once  more,  and  explained 
again,  with  all  possible  simplicity,  the  way  of  a  sinner's  acceptance.  It 
was  easy  to  see  her  soul  was  letting  go  its  hold  on  everything  else,  and 
coming  to  him  as  her  only  hope.  The  Saviour  seemed  near.  My  spirit 
yearned  over  her  case.  Mrs.  H.,  who  came  with  her,  was  melted.  It 
was  a  moment  of  inexpressible  solemnity  and  tenderness.  The  decision 
was  soon  made.  "  I  will  trust  Christ;  I  will  be  his;  I  will  serve  him 
all  my  days.  Is  it  possible  salvation  is  so  free!"  The  process  was  to 
me  very  exhausting  —  all  my  faculties  and  feelings  were  enlisted.  I 
hope  well  for  the  result.     Time  will  prove  its  character. 

March  15.  This  evening  met  the  converts' class.  Though  the  weather 
was  unpleasant,  yet  fifty-six  were  present.  The  young  lady  who  called 
upon  me  was  one  of  the  number,  rejoicing  in  Christ.  O.  never  can  I 
forget  the  agony  of  soul  in  leading  her  to  the  cross.  "  Travailing  in 
birth  "  is  the  apostle's  figure,  and  eminently  expressive. 

How  do  such  scenes  as  these  reveal  to  us  the  workings  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  as  witnessed  not  merely  in  those  brought 
under  the  power  of  converting  grace,  but  as  operating  on  the 
mind  and  in  the  heart  of  one  set  apart  to  the  solemn  work 
of  leading  men  to  Christ !  We  look  into  that  pastor's  study, 
as  we  would  look  into  the  surgeon's  office,  to  observe  the 
processes  by  which  they  who  seem  to  be  hastening  down  to 
the  gates  of  death  are  brought  to  the  portals  of  everlasting 
life.  The  anxieties  in  either  case  are  not  unlike,  and  the 
strain  on  all  the  best  faculties  of  our  nature  are  not  dis- 
similar. Tlie  responsibilities  in  either  case  are  great  beyond 
our  power  to  estimate.  If  we  admire  the  calm  earnestness, 
the  kindness  combined  with  firmness,  the  fidelity  which  does 
not  shrink  to  give  pain  if  needed,  which  mark  the  one  case, 
why  may  we  not  admii  e  precisely  the  same  qualities  as  seen 
in  the  other  case ?  Tl le  physician  w'lo  deals  with  precious 
souls  occupies  a  positio  i  of  higher  dif  nity,  of  moral  grandeur 
loftier  than  that  on  A/hich  he  staids  Avhose  regards  are 
limited  to  the  wants  cf  the  perishing  body. 

The  twenty-fifth  ai  niversary  Ot'  Dr.  Stow's  ordination 
occurred  on  the  24tli  Df  October,  1852.  He  makes  a  few 
memoranda  of  what,  h]  ■  the  grace  of  God,  he  has  been  ena« 


KEVIEAV    OP   A    QUARTER   CENTURY.  249 

bled  to  do  during  the  quarter  of  a  century.  Into  the  three 
churches  of  wliich  he  has  had  the  pastoral  charge  there  had 
been  received  twelve  hundred  and  sixty-five  members,  of 
which  number  he  had  himself  bajDtized  eight  hundred  and 
thirty-five.  He  had  married  six  hundred  and  eighty-nine 
couples,  and  attended  nine  hundred  and  sixty-two  funerals, 
and  made  sixteen  thousand  pastoral  visits.  During  this 
period  of  his  ministry  he  had  preached  three  thousand  one 
hundred  and  eighty-four  sermons,  of  which  six  were  at  the 
recognition  of  new  churches,  eleven  at  the  dedication  of 
]ilaces  of  worship,  forty-four  at  the  ordination  and  installa^ 
tion  of  ministers,  sixty-three  before  conventions  and  associa- 
tions, charitable  societies,  &c.,  &c.  "Goodness  and  mercy 
have  followed  me  all  these  years.  I  have  sufiered  some,  have 
enjoyed  much,  have  worked  hard,  but  might  have  worked 
better.  God  has  been  faithful.  His  promises  have  never 
tailed.  I  cannot  expect  to  labor,  or  even  live,  another  quar- 
ter of  a  century.  O  that  henceforth  I  may  live  better,  pray 
more,  and  maintain  '  a  closer  walk  with  God ! ' " 

It  pains  us  that  tlie  limits  within  which  we  must  compress 
tliis  volume  compel  us  to  omit  so  many  things  which  we  find 
in  his  journal,  the  perusal  of  which  could  not  foil  to  be  full 
of  both  interest  and  profit  to  the  reader.  Now  and  then  we 
get  sweet,  charming  glimpses  of  Dr.  Stow's  domestic  life,  and 
they  open  to  our  view  a  nature  rich  in  gifts  which  make 
home  so  full  of  quiet  joy  and  peace.  Take  the  following, 
under  date  of  June  16,  1853,  the  fifty-second  anniversary  of 
his  birth :  — 

At  twilight  tliis  evening  I  sat  down  with  my  dear  E.,  and  we  cora- 
nienced  a  review  of  the  past.  I  forgot  my  studies  and  cares  as  we  went 
back  to  the  old  homesteads  and  scenes  of  our  early  childhood,  and  con- 
versed of  dear  places  and  dearer  friends,  parents,  brothers,  sisters, 
schools,  meetings,  ministers,  &c.  0,  how  fresh,  how  vivid,  how  tender 
were  the  recollections !  Thus  we  lingered  about  the  loved  of  departed 
years  until  the  hour  of  family  prayer.  We  both  concluded  we  had 
been  especially  the  children  of  Providence.  How  wonderfully  God  has 
led  us  these  more  than  fifty  years  !  We  had  our  offering  to  lay  upon  our 
evening  altar  —  a  sacrifice  of  praise  and  thanksgiving.    Accept  it,  O  God, 


250  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

for  thy  dear  Son's  sake.     For  his  sake  accept  us,  and  make  us  ever, 
ever  thine. 

Allusion  has  been  made  to  the  warm  friendship  which 
existed  between  Dr.  Sharp  and  Dr.  Stow.  The  former  had 
for  many  years  been  the  senior  in  age  and  settlement  among 
the  pastors  of  the  Baptist  churches  in  Boston.  As  such  he 
was  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all  his  brethren  in  the  min- 
istry. They  were  accustomed  to  respect  his  judgment,  and 
to  go  to  him  for  advice.  When  he  was  removed  by  death, 
a  vacancy  was  made  in  the  ministerial  ranks  which  was  keen- 
ly felt,  esiDCcially  by  those  who  had  labored  by  his  side  for 
so  many  years.  The  record  which  Dr.  Stow  made  of  the 
event  is  found  in  the  following  extract  from  his  journal :  — 

June  24.  Sad,  sad  news.  Dr.  Sharp  died  hist  evening  at  Baltimore. 
I  liave,  by  request,  just  written  some  resolutions  to  be  laid  this  evening 
before  the  bereaved  church  and  society.  The  Lord  support  the  deeply- 
afflicted  family.  The  Lord  sanctify  this  event  to  his  ministers.  I  am 
now  the  oldest  Baptist  pastor  in  the  two  Boston  associations. 

June  28.  To-day  the  funeral  services  connected  with  the  interment 
of  Dr.  Sharp  were  attended  in  Charles  Street  Church.  A  few  friends 
were  invited  to  meet  the  family  at  his  late  residence,  20  West  Cedar 
Street,  when  prayer  was  offered  by  Eev.  Dr.  Neale.  At  church  t!ie  ser- 
vices were  as  follows  :  — 

Invocation  by  Rev.  Dr.  Gannett.  Reading  Scriptures  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Neale.  Hymn  read  by  Rev.  Dr.  J.  Wayland.  Sermon  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Francis  Wayland,  Acts  viii.  2.  Hymn  read  by  Rev.  Dr.  Blagden. 
Prayer  by  Rev.  Baron  Stow.  Hymn  read  by  Rev.  William  Howe. 
Benediction  by  Rev.  Dr.  J.  W.  Parker.  An  immense  procession  of 
carriages  followed  the  body  to  Mount  Auburn,  where  prayer  was  offered 
by  Baron  Stow.  I  was  absent  from  my  house  seven  hours,  so  pro- 
tracted were  all  the  services.     Returned  much  oppressed  in  spirit. 

We  give  further  extracts,  referring  to  events  in  which  Dr. 
Stow  was  interested,  some  of  which  will  be  recalled  by  many 
of  the  readers  of  this  Memoir. 

October  7.  "  Heaven  is  attracting  towards  itself  all  the  good  and 
lovely  of  earth."  How  true,  gloriously  true  !  Last  night  the  Hon.  Simon 
Grcenleaf,  of  Cambridge,  suddenly  entered  into  his  rest,  aged  seventy 
years.     He  was  a  member  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Ameri* 


"first  things."  251 

can  Tract  Society,  Boston,  in  the  meetings  of  which  I  often  met  him 
He  was  a  man  of  great  simplicity  and  purity,  eminently  a,  godly  man. 
For  many  years  an  Episcopalian,  he  became  dissatisfied  with  the  Pusey- 
istic  tendencies  of  his  church,  and  witiidrew,  and  joined  the  Orthodox 
Congrogationalists.  He  loved  the  doctrine  of  grace  ;  he  loved  the  whole 
Christian  brotlierhood.  He  is  now  "present  with  the  Lord."  Thus 
Christ  is  taking  home  his  disciples,  according  to  his  promise.  Will  he 
take  me  to  that  blessed  home?  Have  I  a  valid  hope  of  heaven?  Lord, 
teach  me  what  I  aui.  Let  me  not  be  deceived.  Prepare  me  to  dwell 
M  ith  thee  in  glory. 

January  8,  ISo-l.  Commenced  a  series  of  Sabbath  morning  discourses 
on  "First  Things  in  the  Christian  Church."  To-day  was  "The  First 
Prayer  Meeting."     Acts  i.  12,  14.     Had  a  full  house  and  good  attention. 

The  discourses  here  referred  to,  together  with  several  oth- 
ers of  a  similar  character,  were  published,  several  years  after 
they  were  delivered,  under  the  title  of  First  Things,  or  the 
Development  of  Church  Life,  and  were  favorably  received 
as  a  valuable  contribution  to  Christian  literature. 

February  19.  During  the  past  week  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  lead- 
ing to  Christ  a  granddaughter  of  the  late  Eev.  Abel  Woods,  who,  in 
the  winter  of  1821-22,  sought  me  out,  and  opened  the  way  for  me  to  go 
to  Columbian  College  for  my  education.  I  have  erer  remembered  him 
with  gratitude.  Little  did  I  think,  after  thirty-two  years,  I  should  have 
an  opportunity  to  render  a  service  to  one  of  his  posterity.  "  God  works 
in  a  mysterious  way." 

April  23.  In  the  evening  heard  Rev.  Dr.  Duff,  missionary  of  the 
Scottish  Free  Church  in  Bengal,  at  the  Tremont  Temple.  His  sermon 
was  one  hour  and  three  quarters  in  length.  Like  most  Scotch  preach- 
ers, he  was  very  wordy  and  repetitious  ;  but  evidently  he  is  a  very  strong, 
earnest  man.  His  heart  is  in  the  work  of  missions.  I  should  have 
liked  his  discourse  better  if  he  had  made  fewer  apologies  for  his  plain- 
ness. .4  minister  should  say  nothing  but  what  he  has  a  right  to  say, 
and,  having  said  it,  he  should  let  it  cut  ivith  its  full  force.  The  ambas- 
sador is  responsible  for  nothing  but  the  right  delivery  of  his  message. 
He  speaks  for  his  superior. 

May  27.  The  city  is  disturbed  by  the  arrest  of  a  slave  under  the 
fugitive  slave  law.  In  a  riot  last  night  at  the  Court  House  one  man 
was  killed.     There  is  danger  of  further  violence. 

June  2.  This  has  been  anniversary  week  in  Boston.  Having  much 
to  occupy  me,  I  have  attended  but  few  of  the  meetings.  The  excite- 
ment about  the  fugitive  slave,  Anthony  Burns,  a  Baptist  brother,  has 


252  MEMOIR   OF    DR.    STOW. 

been  great,  airl  often  alarming.  To-day  he  has  been  carried  off  by 
the  United  States  authorities.  A  division  of  Massachusetts  (fifteen 
hundred)  troops  was  on  duty  to  preserve  tlie  peace.  So,  in  obedience 
to  a  most  infamous  law,  we  are  obliged  to  look  on  and  see  humanity 
outraged.  It  will  not  always  be  so.  The  blood  in  my  heart  has 
boiled  with  emotion,  and  I  have  been  compelled  to  repress  my  feelings. 
I  hope  never  to  witness  another  such  scene. 

October  30.  This  morning  attended  the  ministers'  meeting,  which 
is  held  weekly  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  thn  Young  Men's  Christian  As- 
sociation, Tremont  Temple.  Owing  to  the  prostration  of  ray  physical 
system  which  I  feel  on  Monday,  I  seldom  attend  these  meetings ;  but 
to-daj  I  made  an  extra  effort  to  be  there  to  plead  for  city  missions, 
which  was  the  appointed  subject  for  consideration.  A  good  impres- 
sion, I  think,  was  made  upon  some  minds  as  to  the  duty  of  preaching 
the  gospel  to  the  poor  and  neglected.  But  I  was  pained  not  a  little 
to  hear  some  remarks  bearing  unkindl}'  upon  another  denomination, 
that  is  doing  a  hundred  fold  more  than  the  Baptists  for  the  spiritual 
good  of  "the  perisliing  classes."     O,  how  narrow,  how  unchristian! 

November  2.  A  committee  from  tiie  Brookline  church  and  society 
called  on  me,  and  tendered  their  unanimous  invitation  to  me  to  be- 
come their  pastor,  with  a  salary  of  two  thousand  dollars.  The  com- 
mittee were  very  courteous,  but  very  urgent,  and  seemed  to  suppose 
that  they  could  make  out  a  strong  case  for  me  as  well  as  for  them- 
selves. I  now  have  the  subject  before  me.  The  question  is  a  grave 
one,  and  must  not  be  decided  without  calm  and  prayerful  deliberation. 
I  have  labored  six  years  in  this  field,  and  twenty-two  in  Boston.  Still 
I  do  not  see  that  the  time  for  me  to  withdraw  from  the  city  has  come. 
Brookline  presents  an  eligible  place  for  my  retirement.  But  can  I 
consult  my  own  ease?  My  inquiry  must  be  for  the  will  of  my  Master. 
"Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?  "  I  am  not  my  own,  but  thine. 
Show  me  what  will  please  thee,  and  give  me  grace  to  do  it. 

November  14.  Wrote  my  reply  to  the  Brookline  invitation.  There 
were  reasons  why  I  should  regard  their  propositions  with  favor,  but 
stronger  reasons  why  I  sliould  decline  it,  and  my  answer  was  negative. 
I  am  on  the  altar  in  Howe  Street,  and  there  must  remain  until  God 
shows  me  clearly  that  he  would  have  me  remove. 

He  writes  in  his  journal,  Jiuie  4,  "Information  having 
reached  me  of  the  circumstances  under  which  I  was  re-elected 
as  a  member  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Missionary 
Union,  I  have  decided  I  cannot,  consistently  with  self-respect, 
accept  the  appointment.  Accordingly  I  have  to-day  sent  in 
the  folloAvinjr  letter : "  — 


PERSONAL   EXPLANATIONS.  253 

To  the  Execvtive  Committee  of  the  American  Baptist 
Missionary  Union. 

Dear  Brethren  :  My  interest  in  the  cause  of  foreign  mis- 
sions is  coeval  witli  my  conversion  to  Christ.  For  more  than 
thirty-six  years  that  enterprise  lias  had  a  prominent  place  in 
my  thoughts,  my  prayers,  and  my  labors ;  and  if  I  have  not 
given  proof  of  a  cordial  and  earnest  devotedness  to  its  ad- 
vancement, it  is  because  I  have  been  incapable  of  furnishing 
such  proof  I  have  applied  to  it  heart,  time,  money,  and 
toil,  and  know  not  that  my  sincerity  has  ever  been  ques- 
tioned. 

In  April,  1832, 1  was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  the 
General  Convention,  and,  on  my  removal  to  Boston,  the  same 
year,  I  took  ray  seat,  and  commenced  labor  with  honored 
brethren,  only  one  of  whom  is  now  of  your  number.  In  1835 
I  was  elected,  by  the  Convention,  one  of  its  corresponding 
secretaries.  By  declining  that  appointment,  my  place  in 
the  board  Avas  temporarily  alienated.  The  same  office  was 
unanimously  tendered  to  me  by  the  acting  board  in  1841, 
and  for  the  same  reasons  that  influenced  my  former  decision, 
was  again  declined.  After  the  death  of  Professor  Knowles, 
in  1838, 1  was  for  eight  years  the  recording  secretary  of  the 
board. 

Thus,  from  November,  1832,  to  the  present  time,  with  the 
exception  above  named,  I  have  served  the  Convention  and 
the  Union  as  a  gratuitous  laborer  at  the  Missionary  Rooms. 
Hoio  I  have  served  them,  a  few  now  surviving,  and  many 
gone  home  to  their  reward,  have  been  witnesses.  The  history 
of  many  labors  cannot  be  written  by  human  hand.  "My 
record  is  on  high,"  unrequited  by  man,  often  misjudged  and 
misrepresented.  I  have  toiled  on,  calmly,  relying  upon  the 
assurance,  "  Thou  shalt  be  recompensed  at  the  resurrection 
of  the  just." 

The  time  has  now  arrived  for  me  to  retire  from  the  position 
which  I  have  so  long  held,  and  allow  you  to  su])ply  the  va- 
cancy with  some  one  who  may  have  the  confidence  of  those 


254  MEMOIR    OF   DR.    STOW. 

from  whom  you  liave  received  your  ajjpointment.  The  re- 
cent election,  if  I  am  correctly  informed  respecting  its  detail, 
was  too  significant  in  some  of  its  aspects  to  leave  me  any 
honorable  alternative  but  to  refuse  a  trust  which,  for  the 
first  time  in  twenty-three  years,  has  been  grudgingly  con- 
ferred. With  my  selt-respect  undamaged,  I  now  embrace  the 
opportunity  to  give  myself  wholly  to  the  spiritual  care  of  a 
people,  v.'ho,  no  less  than  their  pastor,  have  supplied  the  evi- 
dence of  substantial  interest  in  foreign  missions. 

You  may  be  assured,  dear  brethren,  that  my  attachment  to 
the  enterprise  which  you  have  in  charge  will  not  be  dimin- 
ished by  this  severance  of  ray  official  connection.  It  is  an 
element  of  my  Christian  life,  and  lies  too  deep  to  be  unfavora- 
bly affected  by  any  injustice  of  which  I  have  been,  or  may  be, 
the  victim. 

In  jiarting  from  you,  I  am  happy  to  testify  to  the  uniform 
kindness  and  courtesy  with  whicli  I  have  been  treated  by  all 
my  associates  in  both  the  acting  board  and  the  executive 
committee.  I  think  I  have  had  their  confidence,  as  they 
certainly  have  had  mine. 

It  has  been  my  misfortune  occasionally  to  diifer  from  the 
opinions  and  policy  of  the  foreign  secretary ;  but  you  are 
witnesses  that  I  have  never  opposed  liim  in  a  captious  or 
persistent  spirit.  And  it  is  due  to  him  that  I  should  here 
say,  that  his  bearing  towards  me  personally  has,  without  ex- 
ception, been  that  of  a  gentleman  and  a  Christian. 
With  affectionate  esteem. 

Your  brother  in  Christ, 

Baron  Stow. 

Boston,  June  4,  1855.  I  am  now  relieved  of  a  heavy  burden.  Un- 
pleasant as  are  some  of  the  circumstances,  I  rejoice  in  the  opportu- 
nity atforded  me  of  turning  my  whole  force  to  my  one  field.  I  desire 
no  other  work ;  there  is  none  better.  Studying,  preaching,  praying, 
visiting,  —  be  these  my  employment  during  my  few  remaining  years. 

June  6.  This  morning  at  an  early  hour  a  sub-committee,  appointed 
yesterdaj'  by  the  executive  committee,  called  upon  me,  requesting  me  to 
recall  my  letter  declining  the  appointment.     I  heard  all  they  had  to  say, 


JOURNAL.  255 

flnd  simply  promised,  if  tliey  would  oommuniojite  tlieir  wishes  in  writing, 
to  reconsider  the  question.  I  am  thus  vindicated  by  my  associates, 
who  know  my  whole  course,  and  now  have  the  matter  in  my  own  hands. 
As  yet  I  see  no  reason  why  I  should  change  my  purpose.  The  Lord 
give  me  a  spirit  of  candor  and  charity,  and  lead  me  to  right  conclusions. 
I  pray  for  grace  to  sacrifice  all  that  I  ought,  and  act  purely  for^  Christ 
and  his  cause.     I  shall  take  time  to  consider  well  the  whole  question. 

June  16.  My  birthday.  Solemn  thoughts  are  mine  as  I  look  back 
and  as  I  look  forward.  I  am  preparing  a  sermon  for  to-morrow  from 
the  question,  "  How  old  art  thou?" 

Late  this  evening  I  received  from  one  of  my  dear  brethren  (II.  S.  C.) 
a  kind  letter,  enclosing  a  donation,  from  a  few  individuals,  of  eight  hun- 
dred dollars.  He  was  aware  that  during  the  first  four  and  a  half  years 
of  my  connection  with  this  people,  my  salary  was  insufficient  to  meet 
my  expenses,  and  that  consequently  my  mind  was  not  free  and  unem- 
barrtissed,  and  in  his  great  kindness  he  has  brought  me  this  relief.  The 
Lord  reward  him  and  all  his  fellow-donors.  I  feel  overwhelmed  — 
heavily  oppressed.  I  know  not  how  appropriately  to  acknowledge  this 
act.  I  fear  I  shall  not  be  suitably  grateful  to  God,  "  the  God  of  all 
grace." 

June  19.  Concluded  to  return  to  my  place  in  the  executive  commit- 
tee of  tlie  Union.  In  my  answer  to  the  sub-committee,  I  say,  "  I  shall 
do  it  at  no  small  sacrifice,  and  with  many  misgivings  as  to  the  utility  of 
any  service  I  may  render."  This  is  emphatically  true,  and  I  feel  as  if 
I  were  bowing  my  neck  to  a  heavy  yoke ;  but  the  committee  and  foreign 
secretary,  Dr.  Peck,  seem  to  regard  my  services  as  necessary  to  the 
prosecution  of  their  work;  and  to  their  earnestly  expressed  wishes  I 
yield,  in  the  hope  that  I  may,  a  little  while  longer,  be  useful  to  a  cause 
which  I  truly  love.  The  draft  upon  my  time  and  strength  will  be  great, 
but  if  I  am  in  the  way  of  duty  God  will  help  me.  While  I  cease  from 
man,  let  me  trust  Him  who  "  giveth  power  to  the  faint." 

July  18.  The  University  at  Cambridge  conferred  on  me  the  hon- 
orary degree  of  D.  D.  The  same  degree  was  conferred  on  me  by  Brown 
University  in  1846.  On  some  accounts  these  unsought  honors  are  grat- 
ifying; on  others,  they  are  undesirable.     Their  value  is  small. 

August  23.  Have  passed  hours  to-day  in  a  solemn  place  —  a  cham- 
ber of  death.  Mrs.  H.  S.  C,  an  endeared  neighbor  and  friend,  this 
evening,  at  ten  and  a  half  o'clock,  entered  into  her  eternal  rest.  I  bap- 
tized her  August  25,  1850.  Lord,  sanctify  to  us  all  this  sore  bereavement. 

August  28.  A  telegraphic  despatch  says,  "  Dr.  Cone,  of  New  York, 
died  this  morning,  of  paralysis."  He  was  a  man  of  great  energy  of  pur- 
pose, of  untiring  industry,  of  devoted  loyalty  to  Christ  and  his  truth. 
He  was  my  personal  friend,  and  I  am  happy  in  the  recollection  of  the 


256  MKMOIK   OF   DR.    STOW. 

sympathy  which  I  have  shown  to  him.     He  rests  from  his  labors ;    he  is 
with  Christ,  whom  he  loved  and  served. 

December  31.  During  this  year  I  have  preached  ninety-nine  dis- 
courses, of  which  eighty-one  were  in  Rowe  Street,  made  four  hundred 
and  seventy-one  visits,  attended  twenty-seven  funerals,  married  thirty- 
six  couples  :  other  services  I  cannot  enumerate.  God  knows  all  I  have 
done,  and  how  everything  has  been  done.  I  have  nothing  of  which  to 
boast.  I  would  lie  as  a  poor  sinner  before  the  mercy-seat,  and  depend 
wholly  for  justification  on  the  righteousness  of  Christ.  If  he  is  not  my 
Redeemer,  then  am  I  lost,  justly  condemned  forever  and  ever. 


COKBESPONDENCE.  257 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

cobrfispondence. — fourth  invitation  to  the  presidency  of  a 
College.  —  Journal. —  Death  of  Edward  D.  Chamberlin. — 
"Christian  Brotherhood."  —  Second  Voyage  to  Edrope. — 
Journal  while  abroad.  —  Home  again. 

The  correspondence  of  Di*.  Stow,  during  the  period  which 
has  passed  in  review  in  the  last  two  or  three  chapters,  is 
quite  voluminous,  and  Ave  are  obliged  to  confine  ourselves  to 
such  selections  as  will  bring  to  our  notice  well-known  traits 
of  his  character. 

To  his  cousin,  Mrs.  Nettleton. 

Boston,  May  17,  1848. 

When  I  inform  you  that  I  have  been  absent  more  than  six  weeks  on  a 
journey  for  the  benefit  of  my  health,  you  will  understand  why  no  answer 
has  been  returned  to  your  kind  favor  of  April  8,  and,  of  course,  will 
excuse  me  from  all  suspicion  of  culpable  negligence. 

My  dear  E.  and  myself  left  home  the  last  day  of  March,  and  travelled 
as  far  as  Washington,  where,  in  a  very  balmy  climate,  I  gained  a  little 
relief.  I  am  still  an  invalid,  however,  and  unfit  for  any  useful  service. 
I  shall  probably  soon  dissolve  my  connection  with  dear  Baldwin  Place, 
and  endeavor,  by  entire  relaxation  from  mental  labor,  at  least  for  a  few 
months,  to  recruit  my  exhausted  energies.  It  has  cost  me  immense 
suffering  to  reach  this  conclusion ;  but  I  see  no  alternative,  and  hope  to 
have  grace  to  submit  quietly  to  the  divine  will. 

Tc  your  inquiries  I  can  give  you  the  following  answers  :  — 

1.  The  Scriptures  are,  for  the  most  part,  translated  with  great  faith- 
fulness. A  few  passages  might  be  better  translated,  but  I  do  not  know 
the  man  whom  I  would  trust  to  make  the  improvement. 

2.  There  is  no  "  virtue  in  going  to  communion,"  apart  from  the  simple 
fact  of  obedience  to  the  command  of  Christ.  The  Lord's  Supper  is  a 
commemorative  ordinance,  to  be  observed  by  baptized  believers,  and, 

17 


258  MEMOIE   OF   DR.    STOW. 

when  rightly  observed,  has  a  good  moral  effect  upon  themselves,  and  is 
well  pleasing  to  the  Saviour. 

3.  I  know  nothing  in  ray  own  experience  of  a  feeling  in  prayer  as  if 
I  "  talked  with  God  face  to  face,  as  with  a  person."  I  am  not  aware  of 
any  requirement  that  we  should  thus  feel.  We  may  "  draw  nigh  "  to 
God,  and  feel  that  we  are  in  his  presence,  but  we  are  not  permitted  to 
give  him  any  form  or  shape,  as  if  he  were  "  a  person."  "  God  is  a 
spirit,"  &c. 

4.  God  has  appointed  prayer  as  a  means  to  an  end.  He  has  promised 
to  answer  prayer.  He  has  often  answered  it,  and  none  of  his  "fixed 
laws  "  can  prevent  his  doing  as  he  pleases.  The  law  of  prayer,  I  sup- 
pose, is  as  much  a  "  fixed  law  "  as  any  other.  Prayer  changes  no  pur- 
pose of  God,  for  his  eternal  plan  includes  every  prayer  that  is  offered. 
Prayer  places  tlie  praying  man  in  such  a  relation  to  God  as  to  ren- 
der it  suitable  for  God  to  treat  him  in  a  different  manner  from  what  he 
would  were  he  a  prayerless  man.  But  apart  from  all  theories,  it  is 
enough  for  me  that  God  hears  and  answers  prayer.  He  says,  "  Ask  and 
ye  shall  receive."     Why  should  I  speculate? 

5.  I  am  accustomed,  when  I  administer  the  Lord's  Supper,  to  repeat 
the  exact  words  of  the  Saviour  —  "This  is  my  body,"  &c. ;  "  This  is 
my  blood,"  &c.  I  do  not  know  that  the  form  is  "  important;  "  but  there 
seems  to  me  to  be  a  fitness  in  such  a  solemn  ordinance  that  we  should 
keep  before  our  minds  the  very  idea  which  the  Saviour  presented  to  the 
minds  of  his  disciples. 

To  his  sister. 

Boston,  November  27,  1850. 

I  am  afraid  you  will  think  me  quite  unfraternal,  I  write  so  seldom. 
October  7,  I  think,  was  my  last  date.  Fifty  days  are  rather  too  many 
for  me  to  be  silent.  But,  be  assured,  I  have  not  forgotten  you,  nor  does 
my  love  for  j'ou  in  the  least  abate  in  fervor  or  strength.  I  think  of  you 
daily,  and  pray  for  you  and  yours.  Gladly  would  I  write  oftener,  but  my 
time  is  cut  up  into  inch  pieces  by  all  sorts  of  duties,  calls,  interruptions, 
&c.  Last  Thursday,  November  21,  I  wished  to  write,  and  tell  you  how 
much  I  thought  of  our  dear  fether,  who,  on  that  day,  thirty-four  years 
ago,  looked  upon  us  for  the  last  time,  and  went  home  to  his  everlasting 
rest.  I  suppose  you,  too,  remembered  tlie  day,  and,  like  me,  had  your 
solemn  thoughts  and  tender  remembrances.  My  poor,  hard  heart  was 
a  little  softened,  and  I  prepared  a  sermon  from  "  Christ  liveth  in  me" — 
Gal.  ii.  20. 

I  am  now  writing  the  evening  before  our  Thanksgiving,  and  I  am 
again  carried  back  to  the  old  red  house  near  Endicott's  Mills,  and  the 
scenes  of  early  life  are  revived  afresh.     Koyal  and  I  have  just  been  out 


CORRESPONDENCE.  *  259 

to  the  barn,  and  wrung  the  necks  of  roosters,  hens,  and  chickens,  and 
Tempe  and  Judy,  and  Hannah  Buel,  or  some  otlier  cousin,  are  picking 
and  singeing  the  murdered  creatures.  And  mother,  dear  mother,  is 
making  pastry,  and  preparing  other  good  things  for  the  great  occasion. 
A  hirgo  pile  of  oven-wood  is  in  "the  corner."  Peter  sits  on  the  "  dye- 
tub,"  looking  wistfully  at  the  whole  process.  Above,  the  poles  are  full 
of  drying  apples  and  pumpkins.  A  bright  fire  is  burning  in  tlie  great 
fireplace,  and  the  wind  whistles  through  the  casements,  portending  the 
first  snow-storm.  The  school  is  to  commence  next  Monday,  and  the 
schoolmaster  is  to  board  with  us ;  and  we  talk  about  books  and  pencils, 
and  wonder  how  many  spelling-schools  we  shall  have.  In  the  midst  of 
all,  uncle  Nat,  or  Major  Trask,  or  Mr.  Whittlesey  conies  in,  and  talks 
about  the  weather,  or  the  last  funeral,  or  Ben  Noyes.  And  so  the  even- 
ing passes. 

Now  you  will  say,  Brother  Baron  is  certainly  growing  old :  he  lives 
in  the  past ;  he  loves  to  talk  about  old  times.  Yes,  sister,  I  am  older 
than  I  was,  and  I  think  a  great  deal  of  the  days  when  we  were  all  to- 
gether, an  unbroken  circle.  O,  how  changed !  One  half  of  the  family 
are  in  heaven.  Soon  we  shall  all  have  passed  away !  God  grant  that 
we  may  all  meet,  and  spend  an  eternal  Thanksgiving  before  the  throne. 

To  the  same. 

Boston,  June  2,  1851. 

You  are  certainly  one  of  my  best  correspondents,  for  you  write 
just  what  I  wish  to  know,  and  write  from  the  heart.  But  it  certainly 
is  a  little  too  bad  that  you  should  have  to  do  the  work  of  the  church. 
The  direction  of  the  apostle  was,  "  Help  those  women  who  labored 
with  me  in  the  gospel."  In  Newport  it  seems  the  order  of  things 
is  reversed.  I  suspect  the  gentlemen  are  not  afraid  of  the  "  D.  D." 
Shame  on  them  if  they  are !  Those  semilunar  appendages  add  noth- 
ing to  me.  I  never  put  them  there,  and  if  they  scare  away  my  old 
friends,  I  will  renounce  them  as  not  only  worthless,  but  injurious,  and 
stand  forth  without  them,  simply  as  Baron  Stow,  the  Newport  boy. 
No,  Persis,  those  who  knew  rae  thirty  years  ago,  and  looked  down  upon 
me,  have  now  no  more  occasion  to  look  up  to  me.  I  have  grown  older, 
but  I  fear  not  better.  I  am  but  a  sinner,  dependent  upon  grace.  My 
cffice  I  would  magnify,  but  God  forbid  that  it  should  ever  magnify  me, 
in  fact  or  in  feeling. 

From  Dr.  Sharp. 

Boston,  May  3,  1852. 

I  cannot  find  words  wliich  will  express  to  you  my  grateful  sense 
of  the  most  admirable  address  wliich  you  communicated  to  me  on 
the  29th  ultimo.     Nothing  could  have  been   more  delicately,  respect- 


260  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

fully,  and  affectionately  composed  and  expressed.  As  I  suppose 
your  hand  and  heart  were  in  it,  I  thank  you  most  sincerely.  I 
have  read  it  over  repeatedly,  and  with  tears ;  and,  although  I  may  not 
deserve  all  the  kind  things  you  say,  yet  I  am  willing  to  appropriate 
them  as  one  who  has  intended  to  be  what  you  have  so  kindly  said  of  mc. 
I  also  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  brethren  who  have  signed,  or  may 
intend  to  sign,  the  address,  which  I  can  never  repay.  The  vase,  so  ele- 
gant, so  simply  beautiful,  with  the  chaste  and  yet  loving  inscription, 
shall  always  occupy  a  conspicuous  place  in  my  house,  to  remind  me 
of  the  donors,  ministers  of  Christ  ever  dear  to  me.  And  the  bouquet, 
most  beautiful  and  fragrant,  emblem  of  the  brightness,  the  beauty,  and 
the  sweet  odor  which  love  diffuses  through  a  wide  circle  of  Christian 
brethren. 

Read  this  to  all  the  brethren  interested  in  my  imperfect  acknowledg- 
ment of  your  kindness  and  theirs. 

To  his  sister. 

Boston,  April  11,  1853. 

You  allude  to  the  possibility  that  I  may  have  done  good  to  souls, 
even  when  I  did  not  know  it.  Certainly  I  have  reason  to  be 
grateful  to  God  that  he  has  made  any  use  of  me  in  his  service.  I 
have  been  pastor  a  little  over  twenty-five  years.  During  that 
period  I  have  baptized  eight  hundred  and  forty-six  persons.  Some  of 
this  number  have  fallen  away  ;  some  are,  I  trust,  in  heaven  ;  and  many 
are  living,  active  Christians.  I  have  often  detected  impurity  in  my  mo- 
tives, and  God  has  seen  more  than  I  have;  but  I  think  my  ruling  aim 
has  been  to  glorify  Christ  in  the  salvation  of  souls. 

When  I  came  to  Rowe  Street  it  was  with  much  trembling.  My  health 
•was  very  imperfect.  The  interest  was  quite  low,  and  the  church  were 
nearly  dispirited.  They  had  built  an  expensive  place  of  worship,  and 
had  a  debt  upon  it  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  I  could  do  nothing  by 
the  force  of  popularity.  If  anything  was  to  be  accomplished,  it  must 
be  by  the  blessing  of  God  upon  work.  I  addressed  myself  to  the  task, 
at  first  cautiously ;  and  I  have  kept  on  laboring  as  God  gave  me  strength. 
In  four  years  and  five  months  I  have  welcomed  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
four  into  the  church.  The  house  of  worship  is  full.  During  the  past 
year,  in  addition  to  the  four  thousand  dollars  for  our  current  expenses, 
we  have  raised  three  thousand  dollars  for  benevolent  purposes.  More 
than  this,  my  people  have  raised  among  themselves  fifteen  thousand 
dollars,  and  paid  off  their  entire  debt.  Yesterday  we  worshipped  for 
the  first  time  in  a  house  free  from  encumbrance.  Now,  I  trust  God 
can  accept  the  dedication.  O  that  we  may  be  humble  in  prosperity, 
and  not  grieve  the  Spirit  by  any  unhallowed  feeling  of  self-gratulation. 
For  lack  of  spirituality  in  a  church  there  is  no  substitute. 


LETTER   OF   CONDOLENCE.  261 

To  Rev.  Dr.  Cone. 

Boston,  August  24,  1854. 

One  of  our  city  papers  last  evening  announced  that  you  had  be- 
come the  subject  of  a  heavy  bereavement,  and  my  heart  at  once 
went  out  towards  you  in  earnest,  affectionate  sympathy.  You  have, 
I  believe,  for  years  had  frequent  occasion  to  anticipate  tliis  event; 
but  you  doubtless  find  tliat  you  have  never,  until  its  occurrence,  fully 
realized  the  magnitude  of  tlie  affliction.  We  talk  of  being  "  prepared  " 
for  such  dispensations ;  but  the  preparation,  at  best,  is  only  partial. 
Tiie  reality  ditJ'ers  from  the  picture  which  fancy  has  sketched.  There 
are  ingredients  in  the  cup  which  we  have  not  expected.  There 
is  a  desolation  of  heart  and  liome  which  cannot  be  preconceived. 
You  now  have  tlie  experience  which  teaches  the  whole  trutli.  Liga- 
ments are  severed  whose  delicacy  and  strengtii  you  now  understand 
as  you  never  did  before.  Tendrils  of  affection,  of  whose  tenacity  you 
were  scarcely  conscious,  now  lie  broken  and  bleeding.  A  thousand 
lender  recollections  come  up,  which  no  other  event  could  have  revived. 
It  is  the  heart  that  suffers,  for  a  part  of  itself  is  torn  away. 

In  this  hour  of  your  peculiar  sorrow,  human  sympathy  can  do  but 
little  for  your  relief.  You  must  have  solace  from  a  higher  source. 
And  I  am  sure  that  you  have  it.  Your  tlieology  embraces  large  views 
of  God's  gracious  sovereignty,  and  they  are  now  productive  of  a  rational 
and  solid  consolation.  The  Bible  view  of  the  divine  cliaracter,  and  gov- 
ernment, and  plan  of  mercy  is  rich  with  the  higher  order  of  comforts, 
and  the  believer  knows  the  sweetness  of  submission  to  Him  who  says, 
^'Be  still,  and  know  that  I  am  God." 

I  can  tell  you  nothing  new  of  the  sources  of  true  relief  under  such  a 
trial.  You  can  teacli  me.  But  I  cannot  forbear  to  assure  you  of  my 
fraternal  sympathy,  and  my  fervent  prayer  that  tlie  Master  whom  you 
have  long  served  will  ever  be  near  for  your  support  and  succor. 
Henceforth  tlie  Bible  will  be  to  you  more  precious,  and  the  mercy-seat 
far  dearer;  the  work  of  the  Lord  will  be  more  deliglitful;  the  gloom 
will  be  more  effectually  dispersed  from  the  grave;  heaven  will  be  a 
more  attractive  home.  May  your  faitii  not  fail.  In  all  the  remnant  of 
y^ur  pilgrimage  may  the  joy  of  the  Lord  be  your  strength. 

Early  in  the  year  1856  Dr.  Stow  was  again  urged  to  con- 
sider the  question  of  accepting  the  presidency  of  another  in- 
stitution of  learning.  This  was  the  fourth  time  that  he  had 
been  invited  to  take  charge  of  a  college;  but  neither  the 
frequency  nor  the  urgency  of  the  calls  had  been  able  to  turn 
him  aside  from  the  duties  of  his  chosen  profession.  Although 
he  doubts  whether  he  can  much  longer  perform  the  exhaust" 


262  MEMOIR    OF    Dll.    STOW. 

ing  labors  of  a  city  pastor,  yet  lie  will  persevere  in  the  en- 
deavor to  meet  the  responsibilities  of  his  position  so  long  aa 
God  gives  him  health  and  strength.  How  many  a  pastor  will 
symj^athize  with  him  in  the  record  which  he  makes,  exjjres- 
sive  of  the  difficulty  he  feels  in  trying  to  cast  all  his  care  on 
God!  He  is  troubled  with  the  idea  that  his  preaching  is 
useless,  that  the  people  feel  no  interest  in  it,  and  that  God 
gives  it  no  success.  To  the  discouraged  minister,  toiling  on 
in  his  hard  work,  and  seeing  very  little  visible  fruits  of  his 
labors,  it  may  afibrd  a  kind  of  comfort  to  know  that  such  a 
man  as  Baron  Stow  was  "  a  man  of  like  jsassions "  with 
himself;  that  the  cares,  and  solicitudes,  and  sorrows  of  a  life 
in  which  there  is  so  much  to  try  both  faith  and  patience,  are 
the  common  heritage  of  all  the  ambassadors  of  Christ.  The 
view  of  a  suiferiug  Lord  brings  the  coveted  alleviation.  "  O, 
what  a  sufferer  was  Jesus  for  my  sake !  Why  should  I  shrink 
from  suffering  in  his  service  ?  Poor  creature  that  I  am !  Plow 
light  a  burden  crushes  me  !  Let  me  look  at  Gethsemane,  at 
the  palace  of  CaiaiDhas,  at  the  halls  of  Pilate  and  Herod,  at 
Calvary !  Let  me  dwell  upon  the  particulars  of  the  dreadful 
Passion,  and  open  my  heart  to  their  softening  influence." 

We  pass  over  the  events  of  this  year,  as  there  is  but  little 
in  the  external  life  of  Dr.  Stow  "wortliy  of  special  notice.  A 
few  extracts  from  the  journal  of  1857  are  all  our  limits  will 
allow. 

Received  a  sermon,  preached  in  Portsnioutli,  N.  II.,  February  15,  by 
Eev.  A.  P.  Peabody,  D.  D.,  at  the  closing  of  tlie  Sunday  scliool-room 
in  Court  Street,  which  is  to  be  replaced  by  a  new  building  for  the  same 
purpose.  Tiiat  was  the  dear  old  chapel,  erected  in  1761,  in  which  I 
preached  for  more  than  a  year,  from  July  22,  1827,  to  September  21, 
1828.  The  sermon  is  mainly  historical.  As  a  specimen  of  Christian 
candor,  charity,  and  justice  it  is  remarliable. 

October  24.  A  memorable  day  in  my  history.  Thirty  years  ago  this 
day  I  took  upon  me  solemn  vows,  and  my  seniors  consecrated  me  to  the 
work  of  the  Christian  ministry.  I  have  for  weeks  anticipated  this  anni- 
versary ;  and,  as  I  have  reviewed  my  history  for  all  these  years,  I  have 
said  I  would  observe  the  day  in  a  special  manner.  As  I  have  remem- 
bered God's  goodness  to  me,  I  have  wished  to  observe  the  day  as  one 


PERPLEXITIES    AND    GRATEFUL   EMOTIONS.  263 

of  tlianksgiviiig  and  praise.  Then,  as  I  have  remembored  my  many 
sins,  my  defective  services.  I  have  felt  I  ought  to  observe  it  by  fasting, 
humiliation,  and  prayer.  Ought  I  not  to  be  botli  tliankful  and  penitent? 
If  I  do  not  grievously  mistake  my  feelings,  I  am  grateful  to  God  for  his 
multiplied  mercies,  and  I  have  some  penitential  feelings  in  view  of  my 
unfaithfulness.  I  have  had  some  trials,  but  no  more  than  I  needed.  I 
liave  had  blessings  infinitely  beyond  my  deserts.  I  have  never  been 
suitably  grateful  for  Gud's  kindness  to  me  and  mine.  I  have  often  been 
unreconciled  to  my  discouragements  and  sufferings.  My  trust  in  God 
has  been  defective.     I  have  prayed  too  little,  and  often  without  faith. 

November  29.  Passed  the  evening  in  my  study,  reading  Spurgeon's 
"The  Saint  and  his  Saviour"  —  a  work  in  which  I  am  more  interested 
than  I  expected  to  be.  It  has  blemishes ;  but  when  I  consider  the  age 
of  the  writer  (about  twenty-four),  and  his  popularity  as  a  preacher,  I  am 
surprised  to  find  so  few.  I  have  had,  and  still  have,  fears  that  he  would 
be  puffed  up  by  popular  applause,  and  explode  in  some  disgraceful  form ; 
but  really  it  seems  God  must  be  with  him,  or  he  could  not  have  made 
such  attainments  in  Christian  knowledge.  His  book  is  full  of  brilliants, 
many  gathered  from  old  authors,  but  many  unquestionably  original.  It 
is  a  mystery  to  me  how  one  so  young  is  so  richly  acquainted  with  the  Bible 
and  Christian  experience.  Is  he  not  eminently  instructed  by  the  Spirit? 
O  God,  shield  him  from  every  danger.  "  Hold  up  his  goings  in  thy 
path.'-,  that  his  footsteps  slip  not." 

In  the  spring  of  1858  a,  few  friends  of  Dr.  Stow  placed  in 
his  hands  a  generous  sum  of  money  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  a  siunmcr  vacation  to  bo  spent  abroad,  and  the  standing 
committee  of  his  society  voted  him  leave  of  absence.  This 
unexpected  token  of  the  affection  of  his  i^eojile  greatly  at- 
fected  his  heart.  And  yet  he  was  embarrassed  by  the  act. 
The  church  had  been  religiously  i-evived,  and  quite  a  number 
of  conversions  had  gladdened  the  heart  of  the  anxious  pastor. 
He  was  perplexed  to  know  what  was  duty.  Meanwliile,  before 
reaching  a  decision,  he  was  informed  that,  for  the  tliird  time, 
he  had  been  elected  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  Missionary 
Union.  Grateful  for  the  honor  done  him,  he  declined  to 
leave  what  he  regarded  as  his  appropriate  work  —  that  of  a 
pastor.  lie  decided  also  to  postpone  tlie  visit  abroad  to 
another  season. 

Under  date  of  July  7,  Dr.  Stow  alludes  to  an  event  which 
brouglit  sadness  to  an  afliicted  family,  and  great  grief  to  his 


264  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

own  heart.  Intelligence  had  reached  Boston  that  Mr.  Edward 
D.  Chaniberlin,  son  of  Edward  CliaraberUn,  Esq.,  liad  been 
drowned  in  Providence,  R.  I.  Young  Chaniberlin  was  a 
member  of  Brown  University,  and  greatly  beloved  and  re- 
spected by  a  large  circle  of  friends.  Dr.  StOAV  preached  a 
touching  and  most  impressive  sermon,  suggested  by  the  sud- 
denness of  the  event,  to  which  allusion  has  been  made,  from 
1  Sam.  XX.  3  —  "  There  is  but  a  step  between  me  and  death." 
Those  Avho  listened  to  this  discourse  will  not  soon  forget  it. 

The  commencement  of  1859  finds  Dr.  Stow  busily  en- 
gaged in  preparing  for  the  press  his  "  Christian  Brotherhood," 
and  his  "  First  Things."  Wc  think  Ave  speak  the  truth  when 
we  say  that  of  all  the  works  Avhich  were  the  product  of  his 
pen,  (and  he  gave  to  the  j^ublic  quite  a  number),  this  one  on 
Christian  Brotherhood  was  his  favorite.  The  subject  was  a 
congenial  one  to  his  generous  and  catholic  spirit.  He  felt  that 
the  points  of  contact  between  himself  and  all  true  Christian 
souls  were  vastly  more  in  number  than  the  j)oints  of  diver- 
gence which  separated  him  and  them.  He  delighted  to  speak 
of  "the  communion  of  saints,"  and  deplored  the  sjiirit  of 
bigotry  and  sectarianism  which  led  even  good  men  to  cherish 
unkind  and  ungenerous  sentiments  towards  each  other.  In 
the  introduction,  which  is  irt  the  form  of  a  letter  to  his  long- 
cherished  fiiend,  Deacon  Heman  Lincoln,  he  says,  "  The 
manuscript  has  remained  in  my  hands  more  than  fifteen 
years  —  a  period  much  longer  than  Horace  recommends  to 
authors  for  purposes  of  revision  and  emendation."  Its  pub- 
lication gave  rise  to  the  expression  of  an  opinion  that  per- 
haps its  author  was  a  little  lax  in  his  denominational  views, 
and  not  as  warm  in  his  denominational  attachments  as  he 
should  be.  This  objection  Dr.  Stow  anticipated  in  the  letter 
to  Deacon  Lincoln,  and  avows  his  wish  to  remove  none  of 
the  old  landmarks,  but  still  declaring  that  he  finds  in  the 
faith  and  spiritual  life  of  all  the  real  followers  of  Christ  so 
much  that  is  attractive,  that  he  cannot  help  feeling  drawn 
towards  them  with  an  affection  which  he  must  regard  as  the 
fruit  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     He  quotes  with  great  pleasure  the 


SECOND    VOYAGE    TO    EUROPE.  265 

words  of  a  clergyman  of  anotlier  denomination  :  "  I  have  been 
a  happier  man  ever  since  I  adopted  the  practice  of  always 
praying  for  other  denominations  before  I  ])ray  for  my  own, 
or  even  for  myself  My  heart  has  been  drawn  out,  as  it  never 
was  before,  in  love  to  all  Christians.  I  now  know  what  it  is  to 
sympathize  in  their  afflictions,  and  rejoice  in  their  prosperity, 
and  they  all  seem  to  mo  as  my  Father's  family." 

How  all  the  work  which  he  was  now  doing  taxed  his 
energies,  and  drew  on  his  vital  powers,  none  but  those  who 
have  had  a  similar  experience  can  well  comprehend.  At 
the  close  of  one  of  these  weeks  of  unremitting  labor  he 
writes,  "  I  now  conclude  another  week  of  care  and  toil,  but 
with  no  prospect  of  rest  to-morrow.  Seven  days  I  labor  and 
do  ray  work.  One  half  of  the  night  is  all  the  time  I  get  for 
repose.  Sweet  is  the  thought  —  there  is  rest  in  heaven." 
The  coveted  relaxation  at  length  came.  He  embarked  on 
board  the  steamer,  which  was  to  bear  him  once  more  over  the 
ocean,  on  the  20th  of  AjDril,  and  landed  in  Liverpool  on  the 
2d  of  May.  It  was  among  his  own  cherished  plans,  strength- 
ened by  the  ardent  wishes  of  those  who  had  generously  con- 
tributed to  send  him  abroad,  to  extend  his  trip  to  the  Holy 
Land.  Amid  the  sacred  associations  of  Palestine  he  hoped 
to  find  a  new  stimulus  to  his  piety,  and  bear  back  to  his 
beloved  flock  a  heai-t  into  which  new  life  had  been  infused 
l)y  his  contact  with  the  scenes  ever  hallowed  by  the  presence 
of  our  blessed  Lord  and  Master.  We  may  judge  of  his  dis- 
r;|>pointment  when  we  find  that  he  is  discouraged  from  mak- 
ing the  attempt  to  visit  the  East,  by  learning  that  there  is  a 
probability  that  communication  will  be  disturbed  by  war; 
lliat  the  lateness  of  the  season  will  render  it  hazardous  to 
make  the  attempt  to  go  to  Palestine;  and  moreover  that  the 
vexatious  quarantine  arrangements,  to  which  every  one  from 
Egypt  was  subjected,  will  compel  him  to  spend  fifteen  pre- 
cious days  at  Jafila.  As  we  shall  see  hereafter,  he  abandoned, 
though  reluctantly,  his  purpose  to  visit  the  Holy  Land. 

We  shall  give  a  few  extracts  from  the  journal  of  Dr.  Stow, 
written  during  this  his  second  tour  in  Europe. 


266  JIEMOIR    OF    DE.    STOW. 

May  20.  A  beautiful  day.  I  have  passed  it  in  the  Grand  Duchy  of 
Nassau.  Went  with  jNIr.  G.  in  the  morning  over  the  bridge  to  Castel, 
and  then  b_y  railway  to  Weisbaden,  a  faraoiis  watering-place,  where 
thousands  from  all  countries  pass  the  warm  season.  It  is  the  capital  of 
the  duchy,  situated  in  a  beautiful  valley  at  the  base  of  the  hills  of  the 
Taunus,  and  is  rich  in  saloons,  gardens,  and  splendid  private  residences. 
Visited  the  Greek  Chapel,  up  on  the  side  of  a  hill,  in  a  forest  —  a  splendid 
little  temple,  dedicated  to  the  service  of  the  Greco-Russian  church ;  in 
it  is  a  beautiful  recumbent  statue  of  the  first  wife  of  the  present  grand 
duke,  who  was  a  Russian  princess,  and  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
years.  Visited  the  hot  spring,  and  drank  of  the  water,  which  tasted 
much  like  chicken-broth,  rather  salt.  Looked  in  upon  the  ganibl«!rs, 
men  and  women,  with  piles  of  gold  and  silver  rapidly  changing  hands. 
A  sorry  sight ! 

On  the  21st  of  May,  he  sailed  down  the  Rhhie,  admiring, 
in  common  with  all  travellers,  the  beautiful  scenery  which 
everywhere  met  the  eye.  Returning  the  same  day,  he  passed 
the  Sabbath  at  Mayence.  How  this  Sabbath  was  spent  will 
appear  from  the  following :  — 

May  22.  Hohj  Sabbath.  How  shall  I  here  "remember  the  Sabbath 
day  to  keep  it  holy  "  ?  Had  some  comfort  this  morning,  upon  my  knees, 
before  my  heavenly  Father,  thanking  him  for  his  mercies,  supplicating 
his  favor  upon  my  family,  my  flock,  and  myself.  God  is  here  as  well  as 
in  Boston ;  but  here  are  not,  as  there.  Christian  privileges.  Would  that 
I  could  bow  this  morning,  with  my  precious  two,  at  our  domestic  altar! 
Would  that  I  could  be  in  Rowe  Street  one  hour  to-day,  and  look  on  the 
faces  of  my  loved  people,  and  speak  to  them  of  Jesus  and  his  salvation ! 
This  is  my  fifth  Sabbath  away.  Let  me  devote  it  wholly  to  God.  This 
my  exile  is  a  discipline,  not  joj'ous  for  the  present,  but  rather  grievous. 
Help  me  rightly  to  view  it,  and  to  derive  from  it  benefit.  O  that  I  may 
return  to  my  home  a  better  man,  more  contented  with  my  lot,  more 
.  grateful  for  my  blessings,  more  zealous  in  my  ministry !  Surely  I  shall 
be  remembered  and  prayed  for  in  Rowe  Street  to-day.  Would  that  my 
people  could  know  how  my  heart  goes  out  to  God  for  them  !  At  eleven 
went  to  the  English  Chapel,  and  made  one  of  nine  worshippers  —  seven 
women  and  two  men.  It  was  a  cheerless  place.  The  swallows  over- 
head, feeding  their  j'oung,  kept  up  a  constant  twittering.  A  burly 
Scotchman  mumbled  the  service  of  the  Anglican  church,  and  preached 
a  sermon  from  I\Iatt.  xx.  8.  I  endeavoreil  to  worship,  but  did  not  suc- 
ceed as  I  hoped.  0,  give  me  the  simplicity  and  solemnity  of  our  Rowe 
Street  service  I 


nEIDELBERG.  267 

May  23.  Frankfort  on  the  Maine.  At  10.40  this  morning,  I  left 
Maj'cnce  on  the  Taunus  railway,  and  arrived  here  at  noon.  News  has 
arrived  of  some  hard  fighting  in  Italy,  and  the  excitement  here  is  any- 
thing but  agreeable  to  me.  Mr.  Ricker,  United  States  consul  general, 
whom  I  have  just  seen,  is  confident  there  is  to  be  a  general  European 
war.  He  expresses  doubt  as  to  the  expediency  of  my  going  farther  east, 
and  advises  me  to  keep  on  ground  where  I  can  retreat  at  a  moment's 
notice.  Eeally  tliis  is  not  very  comforting.  To  God  I  commend  my- 
self, for  he  is  my  guide  and  my  keeper. 

May  24.  The  political  horizon  looks  squally  indeed.  I  may  be  obliged 
again  to  change  my  plan  of  travel,  and  hasten  out  of  Germany,  perliaps 
return  to  England,  and  even  to  America.  Well,  having  surrendered 
my  main  object,  I  can  more  easily  give  up  any  other  portion  of  my 
proposed  tour.  On  Ilim  who  careth  for  me  I  cast  all  my  care  —  trust 
him  to  lead  me  in  his  own  way.  O  that  I  may  have  grace  to  confide 
in  him ! 

Heidelberg,  May  25.  At  10.20  A.  M.,  I  left  Frankfort,  and  at  12.25 
reached  this  place,  stopping  at  "  Prinz  Carl."  From  my  window  I 
look  up  the  heiglits  to  the  famous  old  castle,  and  down  upon  a  square 
filled  with  children  engaged  in  all  manner  of  sports.  Now,  at  three 
P.  M.,  hear  thunder  for  the  first  time  in  Europe.  The  day  has  been 
very  warm.  After  dinner  took  a  fiacre,  and  rode  up  the  Neckar, 
then  by  a  winding  route  ascended  the  mountain  by  way  of  the  Wolfs- 
brOnnen,  where  I  saw  immense  numbers  of  trout  in  the  terraced  fish 
ponds  ;  thence  through  forests  and  cultivated  fields  to  the  fine  old  castle, 
which  dates  back  more  than  five  hundred  and  fifty  j'ears.  Through  tliis 
immense  structure  I  followed  my  guide,  a  German  young  lady  who 
could  speak  "  lettle  Anglish,"  for  more  than  an  hour,  up  and  down,  and 
round  about,  admiring  and  wondering.  O,  how  my  pleasure  would  have 
been  increased,  tenfold,  had  my  family  been  with  me !  In  all  I  enjoy, 
the  feeling  steals  over  me  that  I  am  alone :  to  press  on  in  my  lonely 
wanderings  I  am  obliged  to  summon  all  my  powers  of  will.  There  is 
little  pleasure  in  doing  a  thing  because  one  must ;  but  whatever  of  pleas- 
ure tiiere  is,  precisely  that  pleasure  is  mine. 

Munich,  May  27.  At  four  P.  M.  rode  out  of  the  city  to  see  the  bronze 
statue  of  Bavaria,  sixty  feet  liigli,  and  weighing  thirty-six  thousand 
nine  hundred  pounds.  It  is  a  beautiful  work  of  art,  and  eligibly  situated 
on  a  high  bank,  overlooking  a  meadow  which  lies  between  it  and  the 
city.  From  this  position  had  a  fine  view  of  the  Tyrolese  Alps  on  the 
one  side,  and  a  dark  thunder-storm  on  the  other. 

Zurich,  June  1.  Walked  to  the  reading-room,  and  saw  the  only 
American  paper,  the  Weekly  New  York  Herald.  In  a  shop  window 
saw  a  large  "  Bird's-eye  View  of  Boston."  O,  how  my  heart  leaped  as  I 
recognized  Rowe  Street  Church,  Boylston  Market,  and,  more  than  all, 


268  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

Harrison  Avenue,  tlie  very  spot  where  I  would  be  I  I  stood  long  and 
gazed  at  the  fiimiliar  objects ;  but  O,  how  crushing  the  thought  that  I 
am  four  thousand  miles  away  ! 

June  G.  A  beautiful  day  this  has  been.  At  ten  A.  M.  I  went  on 
board  a  little  steamer  for  an  excursion  up  the  lake.  The  scenery  on 
this  lake  is  said  to  be  the  finest  in  Switzerland.  If  there  is  any  finer, 
I  would  go  far  to  see  it. 

Stopped  at  Weggis  to  land  a  party  who  were  going  up  the  Rhigi,  and 
then  wound  about  in  almost  every  direction  between  mountains  of  im- 
mense altitude  and  of  all  shapes.  Interested  in  the  basaltic  formations. 
On  the  right,  at  the  bottom  of  a  small  bay,  is  KOsnacht,  near  where  Wil- 
liam Tell  shot  Gessler  (the  tyrant  who  sought  to  enslave  Switzerland), 
piercing  his  heart  with  an  arrow. 

Farther  on  is  GrCltli,  the  place  where  Arnold,  and  Walter  Fiirst,  and 
Stauffaeher,  with  thirty  others,  confederated,  in  1307,  with  solemn  oath, 
to  free  their  countr}'^  from  Austrian  oppression.  On  the  left,  near 
.4gensburg,  is  the  spot  where  Tell  leaped  ashore  from  the  boat  that  was 
bearing  him,  the  prisoner  of  Gessler,  marked  by  a  little  chapel  built 
in  1522. 

At  Fluelen,  the  termination  of  tlie  lake,  commences  the  road  over  the 
Mount  St.  Gothard.  Here  Mr,  McM.  and  myself  hired  a  carriage  and 
rode  to  Altdorf,  where  are  two  fountains,  the  one  surmounted  by  a  rude 
statue  of  Tell  and  his  cross-bow,  the  other  by  a  statue  of  Gessler.  They 
are  eighty  yards  apart,  the  latter  marking  the  spot  where  stood  Tell's 
little  son  Walter,  with  the  apple  on  his  head ;  the  former,  the  spot  from 
which  the  father,  at  tlie  command  of  Gessler,  shot  the  arrow  through 
the  apple. 

Then  we  rode  up  a  brawling  stream  to  Buglen,  and  saw  the  chapel 
standing  where  Tell  was  born,  and  the  place  where  he  was  drowned  in 
an  attempt  to  rescue  a  child  from  the  rushing  torrent.  The  scenery 
around  this  place  is  awfully  grand. 

Eeturned  to  Fluelen,  dined,  and  reached  Lucerne  at  six  and  a  half 
P.  M.  Seen  much  to-day  to  be  remembered.  Were  I  well,  I  would,  as 
Dr.  Gould  charged  me,  "  go  vp  the  Rhigi."  The  effort  would  be  im- 
prudent. 

We  had  on  the  boat  to-day,  from  Weggis  to  Lucerne,  a  school  of  fifty 
bright  boys,  who,  with  their  teachers,  had  taken  an  excursion.  They 
sang  with  spirit  several  Swiss  songs,  which  added  not  a  little  to  the 
pleasvire  of  the  trip. 

Berne,  .Tune  7.  I  have  now  been  in  eight  of  the  twenty-two  cantons. 
I  think  better  of  Switzerland  than  I  expected.  I  like  not  only  the  coun- 
try, but  the  people.     They  are  very  industrious  and  civil. 

Geneva,  Hotel  des  Bergues,  June  14.  This  morning  took  a  carriage 
alone,  and  went  out  to  "  Ferney,"  about  four  miles,  a  small  village  in  a 


VOLTAIEE.  2G9 

beautiful  valley  near  the  foot  of  the  Jura  range,  and  on  the  great  road 
over  which  my  dear  E.  and  myself  passed  May  14,  1841,  by  diligence  to 
Dijon  and  Paris. 

The  excursion  was  through  a  delightful  country.  How  rich  and  lux- 
uriant the  vegetation  I  How  loaded  the  atmosphere  with  floral  perfume  I 
The  farmers  were  cutting  the  grass  in  their  hay-fields,  and  I  tried  to 
imagine  myself  in  some  rural  district  of  New  England. 

At  Ferncy,  for  two  francs,  was  permitted  to  see  the  private  npart- 
ments  of  Voltaire  in  his  chateau,  which  is  situated  in  the  department  do 
I'Ain,  France.  He  resided  there  from  1759  to  1777.  The  chateau  is 
not  remarkable  for  its  architecture,  but  resembles  a  plain,  country 
house.  It  is  on  a  small  eminence,  a  little  soutii  of  the  main  road,  and 
nearly  hidden  by  a  forest  of  old  oaks.  Tlie  grounds  are  prettily  laid 
out,  and  kept  in  fine  order.  The  bed-chamber  remains  nearly  in  the 
condition  that  he  left  it  when  he  went  to  Paris  to  finish  his  career.  In 
1845,  the  Marquis  de  Villette  placed  in  it  the  "  mausolee  pyramidal," 
which  contains  the  heart  of  Voltaire.  Over  the  monument  are  the 
words,  "  Mes  manes  sont  consoles,  puisque  mon  coeur  est  au  milieu  de 
vous."  Below  is  the  inscription,  "  Son  esprit  est  partout,  et  son  ccEur 
est  ici." 

There  were  busts,  portraits,  medallions,  &c.,  of  the  man.  Among  the 
pictures  was  one  of  Frederick  the  Great,  of  Prussia,  the  Empress 
Theresa,  of  Austria,  and  an  engraving  of  our  own  Washington.  There 
are  the  bed  on  which  he  slept,  his  chairs,  his  writing-table,  &c.,  &c. 

In  the  park  I  walked  in  the  beautiful  arbor  where  he  was  accustomed 
to  walk,  and  dictate  to  his  secretary.  Close  by  is  tiie  little  stone 
chapel,  bearing  the  inscription,  "Deo  erexit  Voltaire,  1761."  When 
superintending  its  erection,  he  jestingly  said,  "  Si  Dieu  n'existait  pas, 
il  faudrait  I'inventer."     Of  course  ho  had  no  worship  there. 

When  I  was  at  Geneva  before,  I  felt  that  I  owed  nothing  to  the  mem- 
ory of  Voltaire,  and  declined  visiting  Ferney.  My  views  are  unchanged 
as  regards  tiie  man,  but  I  wished  to  see  the  place  where  so  many,  in  his 
lifetime,  visited  him,  and  paid  him  a  homage  that  he  did  not  deserve.  As 
I  looked  at  the  various  objects  which  so  manj-  travellers  have  de- 
scribed, I  could  not  forbear  to  think  of  his  condition  in  the  eternal 
world.     "  Son  esprit  est  partout;  "  but  where? 

If  Universalism  be  true,  then  he  is  with  Christ.  When  I  refer  to  the 
grounds  on  which  he  opposed  the  Christian  religion,  I  find  no  manly 
candor.  When  I  see  in  what  scenes  of  pliysical  beauty  he  lived,  with  an 
horizon  filled  with  grand  exhibitions  of  the  divine  power,  I  ask,  How 
could  he  have  so  perversely  reasoned  against  the  existence  of  the  God 
of  the  Bible? 

Ah,  the  Bible  contains  the  explanation  in  its  disclosures  respecting 
human  depravity.     In  every  age,  as  men  have  appeared  who  united  in 


270  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

themselves  the  sum  of  the  heavenly  vhtues,  so  also  have  men  appeared 
who  were  the  concentration  of  all  the  evil  elements  of  fallen  human  na- 
ture. Voltaire  was  the  impersonation  of  that  inspired  truth,  "  The  car » 
nal  mind  is  enmity  against  God."  His  heart  was  the  expository  of  hate. 
What  of  real  good  did  he  not  hate?  With  abilities  that  raiglit  have 
made  him  a  great  blessing  to  the  world,  he  was  really  a  signal  curse. 
And  yet  God  employed  him  indirectly  as  a  means  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  great  and  good  ends. 

Since  Voltaire  went  to  his  final  account,  leaving  so  much  evil  in- 
fluence to  damage  the  world,  Christianity  has  made  niore  progress  than 
it  had  previously  made  for  many  centuries.  Christ  has  shown  himself 
to  be  the  Living  Head  of  his  empire.  On  him  the  crown  has  flourished. 
His  enemies  he  has  clothed  with  shame.  O,  my  Saviour,  I  adore  thee 
the  more  profoundly,  and  I  love  thee  the  more  fervently,  as  the  result 
of  this  day's  observations  and  reflections.  Thou  art  the  King  of  Kings, 
and  Lord  of  Lords.  Tliine  enemies  die,  but  thou,  who  wast  dead,  liv- 
est,  and  art  alive  forevermore,  and  hast  tlie  keys  of  hell  and  of  death. 
At  thy  feet  I  fall ;  to  thee  I  render  homage ;  in  thy  power  and  promise  I 
■confide ;  on  thy  blood  and  righteousness  I  depend ;  to  thee  I  consecrate 
myself  for  time  and  eternity.  O  that  I  may  love  thee  more,  serve 
thee  better,  and  dwell  with  thee  forever!  To  be  where  thou  art  is 
heaven. 

Since  writing  as  above,  I  have  compared  my  thoughts  and  feelings 
while  at  Ferney  with  those  whicli  I  had,  but  did  not  record,  as  I  stood 
over  the  resting-place  of  the  inortal  part  of  John  Calvin.  How  diflferent 
the  man  of  the  sixteenth  century  from  tlie  man  of  the  eighteenth !  The 
one  held  up  the  "  Light  of  Life"  to  enlighten  the  nations,  the  other  la- 
bored to  extinguish  that  Light,  and  to  darken  both  the  present  and  the 
future  pathway  of  humanity. 

Is  Universalism  true?  Are  John  Calvin  and  Voltaire  both  in  heaven? 
Are  they  now  engaged  in  similar  pursuits  ? 

London,  July  24.  Holy  Sabbath.  Went  in  the  morning  to  the  Scotch 
church,  in  Crown  Court,  and  heard  llev.  Dr.  Gumming.  Had  a  front 
Beat  in  the  gallery.  The  services  lasted  two  hours.  Singing  four  times, 
three  prayers,  reading,  and  exposition  of  Scripture,  and  sermon.  The 
doctor  preached  a  very  simple,  jilain,  rich  gospel  sermon,  from  Matt. 
xxvi.  19,  on  the  significance  of  the  passover.  I  was  instructed  and 
delighted.  Saw  him  afterwards  in  the  vestry.  Went  with  Mr.  Ciiild,  in 
the  evening,  to  New  Park  Street  Church,  and  heard  Mr.  Spurgeon.  He 
was  in  his  best  mood,  and  he  answered  my  conception  of  him  as  formed 
from  his  printed  sermons.  Text,  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  5,  "Blessed  is  the  man 
whose  strength  is  in  thee." 

July  28.  After  dinner  proceeded  by  railway  to  Kettering,  and  visited 
the  house  in  which  Andrew  Fuller  lived  and  died,  and  the  chapel  in 


JOUEXAL.  271 

wliicli  he  preached,  and  the  house  in  wliich  the  Baptist  Missionary 
Society  was  formed  in  1792.  Keceived  special  attentions  from  a  Mr. 
Toller,  son  of  the  Independent  minister  of  that  name,  who  was  con- 
temporary with  Fuller. 

Went  to  Norlliampton,  on  tlie  River  Nen  ;  visited  the  chapels  in  which 
the  Kylands  preached ;  also  Dr.  Doddridge's  chapel,  where  we  saw  his 
likeness,  chair,  table,  &c. 

Came  to  Blisworth,  and  then  took  a  fly  nine  iniles  to  Olney.  Saw 
Cowper's  house  and  garden  —  the  summer-house  where,  it  is  said,  he 
wrote  The  Task.  Went  to  John  Newton's  house,  and  were  |  ad- 
niittted  to  the  church  in  which  he  and  Thomas  Scott  preached.  At 
Bedford  we  were  shown  a  small  cabinet  that  belonged  to  John  Bunyan. 
Kev.  John  Gill  was  born  at  Kettering. 

July  31.  Iloly  Sabbath.  A  briglit,  beautiful  day.  In  the  morning 
went  to  the  Scotch  Church,  Ecgent  Square,  where  the  erratic  Edward 
Irving  formerly  preaclied.  Heard  Dr.  Hamilton  on  Rev.  i.  6  —  "  The 
priestliood  of  believers."  A  very  good  discourse  —  well  delivered.  The 
congregation  sang  from  the  Scotch  version  of  the  Psalms  and  Scripture 
paraphrases.  I  have  thus  heard  the  four  great  preachers  of  London, 
Noel,  Camming,  Hamilton,  and  Spurgeon.  They  have  given  me  sound 
doctrine,  but  none  of  them  said  anything  adapted,  as  I  conceive,  to 
awaken  and  convert  sinners. 

Evening.  Heard  Rev.  Dr.  Brock,  at  Bloorasbury  Chapel,  from  James 
ii.  20.     It  was  every  way  the  best  sermon  I  have  heard  in  England. 

Belfast,  Ireland,  August  17.  At  one  P.  M.  attended  a  Union  prayer- 
uieeting.  More  than  a  thousand  persons  were  present,  among  whom 
were  at  least  sixty  clergymen.  The  services,  conducted  by  an  Episcopal 
clergyman,  consisted  wliolly  of  reading  Scripture,  prayer,  and  singing. 
A  revival  of  great  power  is  now  prevailing  in  Belfast,  and  other  parts 
of  Ulster. 

August  18.  Have  devoted  myself  to  inquiries  respecting  the  revival. 
Walked  out  into  one  of  the  suburbs,  and  visited  Ewart's  Row,  a  collec- 
tion of  small  tenements  occupied  by  the  families  of  operatives  in  linen 
mills.  There  we  saw  a  gathering  of  convert*,  among  them  one  young 
woman  who  had  been  '^  si7-uck  down,"  and  just  "gained  hope."  I  con- 
versed with  her  as  I  would  with  an  inquirer  at  home,  and  was  delighted 
with  all  she  said.  Three  clergymen  were  present,  one  an  Episcopalian, 
from  London,  one  a  Baptist,  from  Darlington,  England,  and  one  from 
Scotland.  They  had  all  come  to  observe  "  the  work."  And  all  testified 
that  they  were  fully  convinced  that  it  is  the  work  of  God.  I  cannot 
record  a  tenth  part  of  what  I  have  learned,  and  must  refer  to  a  large 
collection  of  printed  documents.  At  one  open-air  meeting  I  was  pleased 
with  the  decorum  and  solemnity. 


272  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

Boston,  September  9.  Here  at  last.  Home  again.  The  Europa, 
Captain  Leitch,  left  Liverpool  at  ten  A.  M.,  August  27,  bearing  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-three  passengers.  She  took  the  northerly  passage,  around 
the  north  coast  of  Ireland.  The  voyage  was  protracted  by  constant  head 
winds,  and  much  of  it  very  rough.  "We  reached  the  wharf  at  East 
Boston  to-day  about  noon.  Find  dear  ones  well.  O,  the  goodness  of 
God  I     Let  me  not  fail  to  be  thankful. 


DR.     CHILD  S    REMINISCENCES.  273 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

Reminiscences  by  Dr.  Child.  —  Letters   from    Europe.  —  Corre- 
spondence. 

Rev.  W.  C.  Child,  D.  D.,  has  furnished  the  following  remi- 
niscences of  his  excursions  with  Dr.  Stow  to  various  localities 
in  England,  and  we  doubt  not  they  will  be  read  with  interest. 

"In  the  summer  of  1859  I  met  Dr.  Stow  in  London.  He 
had  been  spending  some  time  on  the  Continent ;  but,  as  he 
was  alone,  he  had  failed  to  obtain  from  his  journeyings  the 
pleasure  and  profit  which  he  had  anticipated.  He  seemed  to 
me  peculiarly  unfitted  to  be  a  solitary  traveller.  His  timid 
nature  shrank  from  that  contact  with  the  rough  w^orld  which 
a  tourist's  position  necessitates ;  and  hence  he  neglected  to  see 
many  things  which  would  have  greatly  delighted  him.  I  was 
certain,  from  what  he  said  of  his  continental  wanderings,  that 
this  was  the  case.  He  was  lonely  and  sad.  His  joy,  how- 
ever, Avas  great  at  meeting  the  members  of  my  family  and 
myself  Our  fimiliar  faces  reminded  him  of  home,  and,  in- 
deed, seemed  to  constitute  a  part  of  home,  especially  as  that 
term  was  associated  in  his  mind  with  Boston,  where  he  had 
lived  so  many  years. 

"As  I  had  several  days  of  leisure,  I  proposed  to  him  and 
Drs.  Gillette  and  Phelps,  who  were  also  stopping  in  London 
at  that  time,  an  excursion  of  two  or  three  days  to  certain 
localities,  with  which  is  intimately  associated  the  memory  of 
some  of  Christ's  servants,  whose  names  are  embalmed  in  the 
church's  heart,  and  of  certain  events  which  have  had,  and  are 
still  having,  a  powerful  influence  on  the  Christian  development 
of  the  age.  I  refer  to  such  places  as  Bedford,  Elstow,  Car- 
18 


27-i  MEMOIR     OF     DU.     STOW. 

dington,  Kettering,  Northampton,  and  Olncy,  ■svitli  wirich  wc 
connect  the  names  of  John  Banyan,  John  Howard,  Andrew 
Fuller,  Philip  Doddridge,  Jolin  Rylaud,  William  Cowper, 
Thomas  Scott,  John  Newton,  and  others.  I  was  confident 
that  Dr.  Stow's  heart,  keeidy  alive  to  true  excellence  of  Chris- 
tian character,  would  bound  with  joy  amid  scenes  and  locali- 
ties so  sacred.  He  was  in  full  sympathy  Avith  that  great 
evangelical  movement  of  which  these  men  were  such  distin- 
guished representatives.  Their  history  was  familiar  to  him ; 
and  I  knew  that,  as  we  might  pass  from  point  to  point  in  our 
contemjilated  excursion,  he  would  be  ready  to  appreciate  every 
element  of  interest.  So  that,  however  reluctant  his  sensitive, 
shrinking  temperament  might  render  him  to  join  in  it,  he 
would  enjoy  it  with  the  liveliest  pleasure  when  actually  under- 
taken. 

"  This  was  literally  true.  He  hesitated  about  going,  seemed 
incredulous  as  to  whether  it  would  prove  enjoyable,  but  was 
finally  prevailed  upon  to  accom2:)any  us.  We  set  ovit  early  in 
the  morning  by  rail,  and  arrived  at  Bedford,  some  seventy 
miles  from  London,  about  nine  o'clock.  After  breakfasting, 
we  proceeded  in  our  researches,  first  visiting  the  chapel  be- 
longing to  the  church  of  which  Bunyan  was  pastor,  where, 
besides  other  objects  of  interest,  we  saw  an  old  arm-chair,  in 
which  he  used  to  sit  when  presiding  at  the  church  meetings  — 
a  memento  of  him  for  which  the  owners  have  refused  the 
sum  of  a  hundred  guineas.  Kcpairing  to  the  house  of  the 
pastoi',  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  some  articles  of  fur- 
niture which  had  been  owned  and  used  by  Bunyan,  The 
place  was  pointed  out  to  us  where  stood  the  bridge  over  the 
Ouse,  in  a  structure  at  the  end  of  which  lie  spent  twelve  years 
of  ])rison  life,  and  where  his  immortal  allegory,  the  Pilgrim's 
Progress,  had  its  birth.  Then  we  rode  to  Elstow,  and  visited 
that  lowly  and  unique  cottage  in  which  he  was  born ;  then 
to  Cardington,  the  seat  of  John  Howard,  the  world-renowned 
philanthropist,  where  we  found  interesting  memorials  of  that 
remarkable  man.  Certain|y  not  one  of  the  2:)arty  could  have 
had  more  enthusiasm  amid  such  scenes  than  Dr.  Stow.     His 


VISIT    TO    KETTEUINCx    AND    NORTHAMPTON.  275 

soul  seemed  to  kindle  into  a  sacred  rapture  as  he  trod  on  soil 
and  visited  localities  tliat  had  been  consecrated  by  men  of  so 
exalted  worth  as  John  Bunyan  and  John  Howard, 

"  The  next  point  of  interest  in  tliis  excursion  was  Kettering, 
where  Andrew  Fuller  lived  and  labored  so  long,  and  where 
tlie  English  Baptist  Mission;]ry  Society  was  formed  in  1792. 
There  we  entered  the  2)ulpit  in  which  Fuller  preached,  and 
stood  by  the  side  of  the  grave  in  which  he  sleeps,  and  looked 
up  the  street  in  which  Dr.  Gill  lived.  Surely  Dr.  Stow  could 
not  be  there  witliout  a  quickened  pulse !  Every  feature  and 
movement  bore  witness  to  the  deep  interest  he  felt.  And 
■when  we  went  with  Dr.  Toller,  son  of  that  pious  Independent 
minister  who  so  many  years  lived  and  labored  side  by  side 
Avith  Fuller,  in  affectionate  and  coniiding  intercourse,  and  with 
whose  life  and  character  the  beautiful  Memoir  written  by 
Robert  Hall  makes  us  so  well  acquainted,  to  visit  the  house 
in  which  the  broad-minded  and  noble  founders  of  missions  in 
India  did  their  first  work,  and  planted  the  seed  from  which  has 
grown  so  great  and  fruitful  a  tree,  no  one  of  the  party  felt  more 
jtrpfoundly  than  Dr.  Stow  the  inspiriting  influence  of  the  i^lace. 
"We  were  on  the  very  spot  where  the  men  sat,  and  counselled, 
and  prayed,  who  '  attemjDted  great  things  for  God,  and  ex- 
pected great  things  from  God  ;'  and  while  there  our  dear  broth- 
er's soul  was  radiant  Avith  a  peculiar  joy,  which  discovered 
itself  in  every  feature  and  lineament  of  his  expressive  face. 

"As  we  were  entering  Northampton,  on  the  morning  of  the 
second  day.  Dr.  Stow  was  in  a  difl^erent  mood,  doubtless  suf- 
fering a  reaction  from  the  strong  and  pleasing  excitement 
through  which  he  had  passed  on  the  previous  day.  He  could 
not  see  Avhat  we  had  come  to  Northampton  for !  '  Surely 
nothing  can  be  found  in  this  dull  place  to  charm  or  interest 
lis.'  I  reasoned  Avith  him.  I  assured  him  that  we  should 
find  something.  He  seemed  incredulous  ;  but  I  Avas  confident 
that,  if  he  would  patiently  persevere,  he  Avould  be  rewarded, 
and  told  him  so ;  that  a  place  Avliere  Philip  Doddridge  lived 
and  died  could  not  be  barren  in  objects  and  associations  dear 
to  the  heart  of  the  Christian ;  and  that  a  short  time  would 


276  MEMOIR    OF    DM.    STOAV. 

undoubtedly  bring  to  view  what  would  delight  us.  Never 
did  I  see  him  in  a  more  depressed  or  unhopeful  mood.  Soon, 
however,  we  found  our  way  to  the  place  where  the  elder  Ry- 
land  used  to  preach  ;  and  subsequently,  after  much  effort,  we 
were  standing  in  the  vestry  connected  with  Doddridge's 
Chapel.  Then  it  was  that  the  doctor's  susceptible  heart  was 
aroused,  and  responded  to  the  sweet  influences  of  the  place. 
Before  us  stood  the  identical  table  on  which  Doddridge  wrote 
the  Rise  and  Progress  of  Religion  in  the  Soul  —  a  Christian 
classic,  with  which  no  one,  perhaps,  was  more  familiar  than 
our  dear  brother.  There  was  also  the  chair  Avhich  that  same 
saintly  man  occupied  while  engaged  in  the  composition  of 
that  immortal  work.  Hanging  in  frames  on  the  walls  of  the 
vestry  were  the  letters  containing  the  call  of  Doddri<lge  to 
the  pastoral  care  of  the  church,  and  his  acceptance  of  the  call, 
the  latter  in  his  own  handwriting.  Through  a  side  door  we 
passed  into  the  chapel,  and  there  entered  the  pulpit  in  which 
he  was  accustomed  to  preach.  The  pew  that  Colonel  James 
Gardiner  and  family  used  to  occupy  was  pointed  out  to  us, 
lined  with  green  baize,  and  different  in  that  respect  from  all 
the  others.  Here  it  was  that  Dr.  Stow's  enthusiasm  reached 
its  culmination.  Raising  his  hands,  his  face  beaming  with 
joy,  he  exclaimed,  '  This  is  deeply  interesting !  This  is  glo- 
rious ! '  I  could  not  help  saying  to  him,  '  Doctor,  haven't 
we  found  something  in  Northampton  ? '  '  O,  yes,'  he  re- 
sponded.    '  How  glad  I  am  we  came  to  this  place  ! ' 

"  In  walking  around  the  town,  we  passed  by  the  building 
known  as  Doddridge's  College,  erected  originally  for  the 
education  of  yomig  men  for  the  ministry,  but  subsequently 
converted  into  residences,  on  account  of  the  failure  of  the 
enterprise.  Our  visit  to  Northampton  closed  with  a  call  on 
the  late  J.  E.  Ryland,  Esq.,  the  biographer  of  John  Foster, 
whom  we  found  cordial  and  agreeable.  I  may  safely  say, 
from  the  manifestations  of  interest  which  he  gave,  that  that 
brief  stay  at  Northampton  was  one  of  the  most  pleasing  in- 
cidents of  Dr.  Stow's  life. 

"  In  carrying  out  our  plan,  we  turned  our  steps  towards  one 


HOME    OF    COWPEK.  277 

more  interesting  locality.  This  was  Olney,  a  quiet,  se- 
cluded town,  nine  miles  from  the  railway,  and  with  which 
are  associated  mcMuories  of  John  Newton,  Thomas  Scott,  and 
William  Cowper.  Wo  rode  in  a  fly  from  the  station  to  the 
village,  passing  through  Newport  Pagnell,  a  name  familiar 
to  those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  life  and  writings  of 
the  poet.  We  easily  found  our  way  to  the  house  in  which 
Cowper  lived  with  Mrs.  Unwin.  We  went  into  that  little 
parlor,  whose  windows  look  out  upon  the  principal  square  of 
the  town,  and  wdiere  the  poet  spent  so  many  pleasant  hours 
with  his  ever-faithful  friend.  There  Avas  the  grate,  which 
used  to  be  all  aglow  with  its  cheerful  fire  in  the  gloom  of 
winter,  and  on  which  the  kettle  would  sing  its  song,  as  if  re- 
joicing to  make  these  good  peo])le  happy  by  aiding  in  the 
]n-eparation  of  that  beverage  '  whicli  cheers  but  not  inebri- 
ates.' This  was  the  '  loophole  of  his  retreat '  from  which 
he  was  accustomed  to  look  out  u]5on  the  Avorld ;  and  here 
could  have  been  seen  the  original  of  that  picture  of  domestic 
life  which  his  inimitable  pencil  invested  with  so  many  charms. 
"  In  the  rear  of  the  house  was  the  poet's  garden  —  a  favorite 
resort  of  his.  There  we  saw  standing,  leafless  and  dead,  the 
apple  tree  which  was  planted  by  himself.  Its  history  and 
associations  keep  it  from  destruction,  and  no  vandal  hand  is 
allowed  to  come  upon  it.  In  the  same  enclosure  is  the  '  sum- 
mer house,'  still  well  preserved,  which  was  Cowper's  favorite 
resort.  Here  he  loved  to  compose.  Here,  it  is  said,  the 
Task  was  written,  as  also  that  familiar  and  beautiful  hymn  — 

•There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood, 
Drawn  from  Imnianuel's  veins.' 

Here  we  sat  down  and  sang  some  stanzas  of  it,  more  deeply 
impressed,  if  possible,  by  the  thought  that  this  was  the  place 
of  its  inspiration. 

"  It  could  not  be  otherwise  than  that  Dr.  Stow's  soul  should 
be  thrilled  amid  such  scenes,  and  by  the  thoughts  and  emo- 
tions they  engendered.  At  every  place  referred  to  he  was 
deeply  interested.     Those  good  men  whose  lives  had  been 


278  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

associated  with  these  localities  seemed  to  him  to  have  a  more 
real  existence,  although  they  had  all  passed  away,  and  their 
names  only  remained.  And  we  cannot  but  think  with  pleas- 
ure of  the  delightful  acquaintance  with  them  which  he  has 
since  formed  in  the  '  better  land,'  where  the  hand  of  sorrow 
no  more  presses  uj^on  the  sj^irit,  and  the  tear  of  sorrow  no 
more  moistens  the  eye." 

From  among  the  many  letters  which  Dr.  Stow  wrote  while 
in  Europe,  we  select  a  few,  only  regretting  that  we  must 
confine  ourselves  to  these  few. 

To  his  wife. 

Waterloo  Hotel,  Liverpool,  Room  No.  10,  May  2,  18.19. 

How  often  did  I  hear  you  say  you  would  feel  relieved  when  assured 
that  I  was  "  safely  over."  Well,  here  I  am,  a  fresh  monument  of  God's 
preserving  goodness.     O  that  I  could  telegraph  you  one  word  —  safe  ! 

I  tried  to  keep  a  journal  on  shipboard,  but  could  not  write;  did  my 
best  to  bear  up  by  keeping  on  deck.  At  two  o'clock  this  morning  we 
dropped  anchor  in  the  Mersey.  At  nine,  thanks  to  Captain  Hiler,  I 
found  a  good  room  at  the  Waterloo. 

Now,  my  dearest,  join  me  in  special  gratitude  to  our  faithful  Father, 
who  never  disappoints  the  confidence  of  his  children.  AVe  had  news, 
at  Halifax,  of  the  aspect  of  affairs  on  the  continent,  that  sadly  disheart- 
ened me.  War  has  commenced,  and  there  is  scarcely  a  probability  I 
shall  venture  into  the  Mediterranean.  All  on  board  of  the  Canada, 
bound  for  Italy,  gave  up,  this  morning,  that  part  of  their  plans.  I  sliall 
wait  till  I  get  to  London  before  I  decide  upon  my  course. 

May  3.  Here  I  am  in  London,  at  the  Golden  Cross  Hotel,  Charing 
Cross.  The  day  has  been  remarkably  pleasant,  the  country  green,  and 
the  orchards  in  full  bloom.  Called  on  our  friend  JMrs.  Moore  this  P.  M. 
She  received  me  very  cordially,  and  constrained  me  to  remain  to  tea. 

The  opinions  of  my  bankers,  and  of  our  legation,  are  decidedly 
adverse  to  my  attempt  to  go  east.  Hundreds  of  travellers  bound  east, 
through  tlie  Mediterranean,  have  given  up  their  purposes.  I  could  go 
round  by  the  Bay  of  Biscay  and  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar,  but  it  would 
be  nearly  as  far  as  to  go  home,  and  by  a  most  comfortless  route. 

I  shall  do  my  best  to  go  farther,  but  you  may  learn,  in  my  next  letter, 
I  am  shut  up  in  Europe.  A  failure  to  reach  the  Holy  Land  will  be  the 
first  great  disappointment  of  my  life.  You  will  regret  it,  my  people 
will  regret  it ;  but  neither  you  nor  they  would  have  me  rashly  adventu- 


CORRESPONDENCE.  279 

rous.  I  am  now  more  anxious  than  ever  to  accomplish  an  object  upon 
wiiich  my  heart  has  long  been  intent,  and  I  know  not  how  to  be  recon- 
ciled to  the  result. 

I  am  shut  up  to  faitli  in  the  lesson  of  my  last  sermon  —  Trust  and 
pray.  I  endeavor  calmly  to  rely  on  God.  My  plans  are  likely  to  be 
superseded  by  his,  which  must  be  better  than  mine. 

To  his  daughter. 

Hotel  Wagram,  Paris,  May  9,  1859. 

Tlmrsday,  the  6tli,  I  came  to  Paris.  Here  too  I  have  sought  counsel, 
and  all  dissuade  me  from  venturing  out  of  Europe.  This  disappoint- 
ment in  tlie  primary  part  of  my  plan  has  been  very  severe.  Three 
things  are  quite  certain. 

1.  I  am  at  least  six  weeks  too  late  to  make  it  prudent  for  me  to  go 
into  the  Levant. 

2.  If  I  go,  I  cannot  ref^nter  Europe  by  the  way  of  the  Adriatic  and 
Venice;  for  the  gulf  is  blockaded,  and  not  an  Austrian  steamer  is  run- 
ning anywhere  on  the  Mediterranean.  Consequently,  to  get  into 
Europe,  I  should  liave  to  come  back  to  Marseilles,  and  very  likely 
round  to  England,  by  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar. 

3.  None  are  now  venturing  over  my  proposed  route  by  Egypt  and 
Syria,  and  I  should  have  io  go  alone,  which  all  tell  me  would  be 
madness. 

Paris  is  daily  sending  off  soldiers  to  the  seat  of  war;  thousands  have 
passed  under  my  windows.  Poor  fellows !  going  like  cattle  to  the 
slaughter ! 

Evening.  Called  on  Messrs.  Munroe  and  Company,  bankers.  There 
met  an  American  gentleman  just  from  the  East.  In  telling  him  of  my 
plan  of  travel,  he  at  once  said,  "  You  cannot  prudently  go."  Several 
gentlemen  concurred  in  his  advice ;  thus  I  have  not  found  one  person 
who  has  encouraged  me  to  proceed. 

Tiie  emperor  is  to  leave  Paris  to-morrow,  to  place  himself  at  the 
head  of  liis  army  in  Piedmont.  You  cannot  image  tlie  excitement 
through  all  Europe;  you  should  be  here,  to  understand  tlie  agitation  of 
feeling,  and  painful  apprehensions  of  a  general  continental  war. 

Accept  a  telegraphic  kiss  thirty-four  hundred  miles  long,  each  of  you. 
Remember  me  to  all  my  dear  people. 

To  liis  wife. 

Hotel  Wagram,  Paris,  May  9,  1859. 

Have  just  mailed  letters  to  M.  and  Deacon  L.  The  interruption  in 
my  plan  of  travel  has  been  a  severe  trial.  From  the  time  of  my  meet- 
ing the  war  news  at  Liverpool,  I  liave  been  thrown  as  never  before 


280  MEMOIR   OP    DR.    STOW. 

directly  upon  God.  I  turned,  as  a  child,  to  my  heavenly  Father,  and 
said,  "  I  will  trust  him  at  all  times ;  I  will  pour  out  my  heart  hefore 
hira."  My  constant  prayer  has  been,  "  Lord,  direct  thy  perplexed  ser- 
vant; show  me  what  will  please  thee."  From  day  to  day  the  darkness 
thickened,  but  my  confidence  in  him  did  not  waver,  and  he  has  now 
given  me  peace. 

I  propose  now  to  proceed  to  Strasbourg,  Frankfort,  and  Mayence ;  so 
my  nest  letter  will  be  from  the  banks  of  the  Rhine. 

While  I  now  write,  the  Archbishop  of  Paris  is  saying  high  mass  in  the 
chapel  of  the  Tuileries,  preparatory  to  the  departure  of  the  emperor. 
Soon  we  shall  hear  of  terrible  slaughter,  such  as  Europe  has  not  seen 
since  the  days  of  Napoleon  I. 

To-day  the  Convention  meets  in  New  York  to  consider  great  denom- 
inational questions.  May  God  preside  over  all  the  meetings,  and  give 
all  the  brethren  one  heart  and  one  way. 

Accustomed  as  I  am  to  lean  upon  you,  I  now  understand  how  de- 
pendent I  am  upon  you.  During  the  past  week  I  would  have  given  a 
hundred  dollars  for  two  words  of  advice  from  yourself.  But  that  was 
impossible.  My  trust  was  in  God,  and  to  him  alone  I  had  access.  Ex- 
plain, please,  my  position  to  the  proper  friends. 

To  bis  daughter. 

Paris,  May  12. 

This  morning  I  met  Dr.  H.  and  wife,  of  Boston,  who  has  been  nearly 
two  years  in  the  East.  He  says,  "  Under  existing  circumstances  it 
would  be  rashness  for  me  to  venture  beyond  Europe." 

After  a  lunch  at  two  P.  M.,  rode  to  the  Bois  de  Boulogne,  beyond 
the  Champs  Elysees  and  L'Arc  Triomphale  de  I'Etoile.  The  air  was 
soft  and  balmy,  the  forest  in  full  foliage,  the  shrubbery  and  grass 
in  full  bloom.  I  can  give  you  no  description  of  the  scene,  surpass- 
ing anything  that  I  ever  conceived  of  physical  loveliness.  The 
avenues  were  full  of  carriages,  from  the  very  simplest,  like  my  cab- 
riolet, to  the  state  coach  of  the  "  Petit  Prince."  What  gayety,  frivolity, 
display ! 

At  a  central  point,  under  a  broad  canopy,  was  an  immense  orches- 
tra; and  there  I  sat  for  an  hour  listening  to  music  such  as  I  never 
before  heard.  It  brought  tears  to  my  unmusical  nature,  and  I  was 
reminded  how  much  you  both  would  have  enjoyed  it. 

To-morrow  I  start  for  the  Rhine.  In  thus  turning  from  my  in- 
tended route,  I  feel  sad  indeed.  All  the  trials  of  my  life  embodied 
would  not  equal  this.  My  purpose  now  is  to  see  as  much  of  Ger- 
many as  I  can,  and,  if  the  fortunes  of  war  permit,  pass  round  through 
Switzerland  to  Geneva. 


CORRESPONDENCE.  281 

May  10.  I'm  here  in  Strasbourg,  on  the  ea.stern  frontier  of  France, 
in  this  old  city  of  sixty  thousand  inhabitants,  and  strongly  fortified. 
The  journey  from  Paris  has  been  a  delightful  one.  The  distance  of 
three  liundred  and  twelve  and  a  lialf  miles  was  acconiplislied  in 
eleven  iiours  and  twenty  minutes.  Two  Frencii  gentlemen,  with  their 
wives,  occupied  the  same  carriage  witii  me.  As  tliey  could  speak 
Anglaise  a  '  leetle  small,"  and  1  Frencli  about  the  same,  conversation 
was  iiard  work. 

To-day  I  have  been  to  the  Grand  Cathedral,  of  which  I  had 
often  read,  but  of  whose  architectural  grandeur  and  beauty  I  had 
no  conception.  There  is  the  famous  astronomical  clock,  one  of  the 
wonders  of  human  ingenuity.  Descriptions  I  shall  reserve  for  that 
happy  future  when  we  three  shall  meet. 

Visited  the  Lutheran  Clmrch  of  St.  Omer,  where  are  the  tomb  of 
Marshal  Saxe  and  tiie  embalmed  body  of  the  famous  Count  of  Nassau, 
after  more  tlian  four  Imndred  years  in  a  good  state  of  preservation ; 
also  the  house  of  the  architect  of  the  cathedral,  where  are  preserved 
his  models  of  the  various  parts  of  the  structure. 

I  walked  outside  of  the  city,  through  the  grand  promenade,  looking 
beyond  the  Rhine  at  the  German  mountains.  Though  this  is  a  French 
city,  the  people  are  mostly  German. 

It  is  Saturday  niglit,  and  I  am  tliinking  who  will  occupy  my  pulpit  to- 
morrow.    God  bless  you  and  all  my  dear  people. 

To  bis  Avife. 

Hotel  d'Angleterke,  Mayence,  May  16. 

Left  Strasbourg  this  morning  at  ten  minutes  after  seven,  and  arrived 
at  ten  minutes  after  one  P.  M.  —  distance  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  miles.  Passed  through  Wissembourg,  Neustadt,  Ludwigshafen, 
Worms,  &c. 

I  have  a  room  looking  out  upon  the  river,  and  the  bridge  of  boats 
leading  to  Castel,  on  the  opposite  bank.  This  is  a  very  old  city,  and  in 
tiie  wars  of  Germany  has  had  a  conspicuous  place. 

May  20.  A  beautiful  da}',  warm  and  exhilarating.  Mr.  J.  and  my- 
self have  been  over  the  river  into  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Nassau.  Went 
first  to  the  Weisbaden,  a  famous  watering-place,  visited  in  summer  by 
thousands  from  all  countries. 

Drank  of  the  hot  springs,  visited  many  places  of  interest,  looked  in 
upon  the  gamblers,  engaged  —  men  and  women — in  their  diabolical 
work.  AValked  through  miles  of  gardens,  ascended  tlie  hills  back  of  the 
town,  passing  through  rye-fields,  grass-fields,  vineyards,  &c.,  among  flow- 
ers and  singing  birds  innumerable.  Then  came  down  to  Bieberich,  on  the 
lihine.  Walked  in  the  ducal  park,  lunched  in  a  coffee  garden,  return- 
ing to  Mayence  in  a  little  steamer. 


282  MEMOIE    OF    DR.    STOW. 

May  21.  Kose  at  lialf  past  four  this  morning,  and  saw  the  sun  rise'. 
Went  on  board  tlie  Stadt  Bonn  for  a  trip  down  the  llhine.  Tlie  day 
was  one  of  the  loveliest,  and  the  scenery  surpassing  in  bsauty  anything 
I  ever  beheld  in  the  terrestial. 

May  22.  At  eleven  A.  M.  went  to  the  English  Chapel,  and  made  one 
of  nine  worshippers  —  seven  women  and  two  men.  A  burly  Scotchman 
mumbled  the  Episcopal  service,  and  muttered  a  short  sermon.  I  tried 
to  worship,  but  could  not,  so  gave  myself  up  to  home  thouglits,  loving 
better  than  ever  the  simplicity  and  solemnity  of  Rowe  Street  service. 

To  his  wife. 

Frankfort  on  the  Maine,  May  23. 

Crossing  the  Rhine  to  Castel,  took  the  Taunus  Railway  and  came 
through  a  most  beautiful  country.  Among  the  grasses  in  full  bloom  I 
recognized  the  daisy,  the  buttercup,  and  red  clover,  of  our  own  land. 

I  am  here  at  the  Hotel  de  Hollande.  Living  at  hotels  in  Germany  is 
much  cheaper  than  in  England  or  France.  I  like  the  Germans,  and 
get  along  better  with  tlieir  language  than  I  feared. 

Now,  my  dear,  may  grace,  mercy,  and  peace  be  ^-ours  continually-, 
and  a  pastor's  affectionate  regards  to  all  the  members  of  his  flock. 

May  24.  I  am  still  in  Frankfort.  To-day  the  news  is  threatening. 
Thirty-one  thousand  troops  from  Austria  and  Bavaria  are  moving  to- 
wards the  Rhine,  monopolizing  the  railways,  to  the  great  annoyance  of 
travellers. 

For  three  hours  I  have  been  sight-seeing.  To  one,  however,  who  has 
seen  the  galleries  of  art  in  Rome  and  Florence,  those  here  seem  flimsy 
concerns.  I  am  most  interested  in  places  of  historic  association,  such 
as  the  window  from  which  Luther  preached  to  a  crowd  in  the  street,  the 
house  in  which  Goethe  was  born,  the  birthplace  of  the  Rothschilds,  — the 
money  kings  of  Europe,  —  the  spot  where  the  Prince  of  Hesse  fell  in  bat- 
tle, the  old  cemetery,  the  cathedral  in  which  the  emperors,  for  nearly 
nine  hundred  years,  were  successively  crowned,  &c. 

After  dining,  I  took  a  "fly"  and  rode  around  the  city,  admiring  the 
environs,  the  beautiful  groves  of  linden  and  button-wood,  the  gardens, 
the  promenades,  the  residences  of  tlie  wealthy,  then  far  away  up  and 
down  the  river  and  the  cultivated  country. 

Heidelberg  is  a  small,  old  town,  of  much  historic  interest.  Arrived 
here  to-day  to  dine.  Situated  on  the  River  Neckar,  at  the  base  of  a 
range  of  high  hills,  it  is  a  pleasant  place,  much  frequented  by  foreigners, 
who  coiue  here  to  spend  the  summer.  It  is  forty-nine  degrees  twenty- 
four  minutes  north  latitude,  seven  north  of  Boston,  and  yet  the  season 
is  a  month  earlier.     It  is  twenty-six  degrees  eighteen  minutes  east  long., 


CORRESPONDENCE.  283 

about  nincty-scvcn  degrees  east  of  Boston,  adifTerence  of  more  than  six 
hours;  its  population  about  fifteen  thousand,  of  wiioni  six  hundred  are 
students  in  the  University.  It  belongs  to  the  Palatinate,  under  the 
Grand  Duke  of  Baden. 

Evening.  Have  been  up  and  down  the  Neckar.  Ascended  the  hill 
to  the  castle,  the  most  remarkable  in  Europe.  I  can  give  you  no  idea 
of  the  picturesque,  beautiful,  grand  views.  I  have  been  enrapture  1. 
Far  down,  tlie  Neckar  flowed  rapidly  on  its  way  to  the  Rhine,  which 
seemed,  in  the  hazy  distance,  like  a  ribbon  of  silver.  Beyond  were  tlie 
Vosges  Mountains.  The  whole  valley  appeared  like  a  garden  tastefully 
cultivated. 

I  had  a  fine  sunset  view  of  the  castle  from  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river.  Bought  some  flowers  and  strawberries  from  a  little  girl,  then 
returned,  past  nine,  to  enjoy  the  twilight. 

To-morrow  1  push  on. 

To  his  wife. 

Munich,  May  27. 

This  has  been  a  busy  day.  Joined  a  party  from  New  York,  and  went 
through  all  of  the  king's  palace.  Visited  churches,  gardens,  obelisks, 
statues,  and  a  multitude  of  other  objects.  Munich  in  every  respect  ex- 
ceeds my  expectations,  and  j'ct  I  have  hardly  begun  to  see  it. 

The  news  to-day  from  Italy  is  exciting.  You  can  scarcely  imagine 
how  feverish  is  the  mind  of  all  Germany  respecting  the  war.  The  sym- 
pathy is  strongly  with  Austria.     O,  how  Napoleon  III.  is  here  hated ! 

May  29.  At  eleven  A.  M.  I  went  to  the  English  Chapel,  but  found  it 
overfilled,  and  then  strolled  away  north,  out  of  the  city,  among  the  trees 
and  green  fields.  There  I  could  worship.  In  the  shade  of  the  lindens 
and  chestnuts  I  breathed  the  sweet  air  and  meditated.  Having  read  in 
the  morning  the  thirty-first  and  thirty-second  Psalms,  I  had  themes  of 
reflection.  The  hum  of  the  gay,  Sabbathless  city  I  scarcely  heard. 
Nature  was  in  her  loveliest  attire,  and  trees,  grass,  flowers,  birds, 
insects,  all  spoke  a  language  I  could  understand. 

A  JIunicli  paper  announced,  yesterday,  an  American  Baron  had  taken 
apartments  at  the  Bilj-ererishschen  Hof. 

The  dear  people  of  my  care  are  now  collecting  for  afternoon  worship. 
Commending  them  and  you  to  the  grace  of  God,  I  seek  rest.  Blessings 
on  you  two.     My  heart  reaches  them  by  way  of  the  mercy-seat. 

To  his  daughter. 

Lucerne,  June  4,  1859. 
I  thank  you  warmly  for  your  two  good  letters.     Continue,  my  daugh- 
ter, to  supply  me  with  every  item  of  information  you  can  think  of.    May 


284  MEMOIR   OF   DR,    STOW. 

you  never  know  wliat  it  is  to  be  alone,  four  thousand  miles  from  home, 
and  to  hear  from  those  you  love  only  once  in  a  fortniglit.  Perhaps  in  my 
letters  I  have  said  too  much  about  my  loneliness ;  but  how  could  I  sup- 
press the  fticts?  My  only  refuge  has  been  prayer,  and  thus  far  God  has 
kept  me.  I  hope  the  worst  is  past ;  but  the  future,  the  three  months  re- 
maining —  O,  how  long! 

I  have  just  walked  a  little  out  of  town,  to  sec  the  monument  of  which 
I  send  you  a  picture.  It  is  a  colossal  lion,  cut  in  the  face  of  a  high,  per- 
pendicular rock,  and  commemorates  the  Swiss  Guards  who  fell  at  Paris, 
August  10,  1792,  in  defence  of  the  royal  family.  It  is  after  a  model  by 
Thorwaldsen,  and  is  a  superior  work  of  art.  The  place  is  surrounded 
by  forest  trees,  and  in  front  of  the  rock  is  a  limpid  pool  fed  by  springs 
that  trickle  down  in  miniature  cascades.  Lucerne  has  a  population  of 
about  ten  tliousand,  and  is  situated  on  both  sides  of  the  Reuss  which 
empties  by  the  lake  into  the  Rhine.  On  the  one  side  is  Mount  Pilati,  on 
the  other  the  Rhigi.  This  lake  is  said  to  be  the  grandest  in  mountain 
scenery  in  all  Switzerland.  On  Monday,  I  hope  to  go  up  the  lake  and 
see.  My  health  will  hardly  allow  me  to  ascend  the  Rhigi ;  and  indeed  I 
shall  probably  leave  Switzerland  after  having  looked  vp  rather  than 
down  upon  her  grand  scenery.  In  my  letter  to  mamma,  I  have  stated 
the  fixcts  of  my  physical  condition.  By  prudence  I  hope  to  prevent  my 
case  from  becoming  chronic;  but  it  will  be  a  sacrifice  of  health  to  climb 
these  mountains.  Besides,  my  cough  is  harsh,  and  my  throat  and  lungs 
will  not  endure  the  air  in  the  region  of  snow. 

June  5.  A  very  rainy  day.  I  pass  it  in  my  chamber — reading, 
writing,  thinking.  The  town  is  very  still.  No  sounds  reach  my  ear  but 
the  ripple  of  the  lake  on  the  levee  beneath  my  window,  and  the  hourly 
bell  of  the  grand  old  cathedral.  The  day  is  very,  very  long.  I  wish  I 
could  transfer  myself,  for  a  part  of  it,  to  dear  Rowe  Street,  and  see  who 
is  in  the  pulpit  and  who  are  in  the  pews. 

To  his  Avife. 

Zurich  (Swissk),  June  1,  1859. 
On  Monday,  the  30th  ultimo,  I  forwarded  a  letter  to  you,  my  precious 
wife,  from  Munich,  via  Liverpool.  Then  I  went  with  Mr.  F.,  an  Ameri- 
can student  from  Michigan,  to  visit  the  Glyptothek,  or  gallery  of  sculp- 
ture, and  other  interesting  objects.  Then  I  joined  a  Mr.  A.,  of  New 
York,  in  a  ride  of  two  hours  in  the  environs  of  the  city.  I  could  have 
spent  a  week  or  more  in  Munich,  for  I  was  delighted  with  the  place,  and 
my  expenses  were  reasonably  moderate ;  but  the  climate  did  not  agree 
with  me  —  the  days  were  so  hot  and  the  nights  so  cold.  Yesterday 
morning  I  rose  at  three  and  a  half  o'clock,  and  started  for  this  place. 
Passed  through  Augsburg,  Kimpten,  Lindau,  Romanshorn,  and  Winter* 


CORRESPONDENCE.  285 

then,  a  journey  of  twelve  hours  —  more  than  two  liundretl  and  fifty 
miles.  Had  tlie  snow-clad  Alps  in  view  nearly  all  the  wa}'.  Some  of 
the  views  were  magnificent,  and,  ill  as  I  was,  I  enjoyed  them.  From 
Lindau  to  Romanshorn  was  hy  a  steamer,  through  Lake  Constance.  As 
the  daj'  was  warm,  I  sat  on  deck  and  admired  the  heautiful,  the  pic- 
turesque, the  grand!  Here  I  am  at  the  Hotel  BcUevue,  and  have  a 
corner  room  on  the  zweiter  stock  {seconde  etage),  looking  out  upon  the 
debouchure  of  Lake  Zurich.  A  few  English  are  here,  but  no  Ameri- 
cans. It  is  a  town  of  sixteen  thousand  inhabitants,  bcaiitifully  situated 
on  both  sides  of  the  Lemraat,  which  empties  the  lake  into  the  Elune. 
The  ragged,  snowy  Alps  tower  high  beyond  the  southern  end  of  the 
lake.  Went  to  the  reading-room,  and  found  the  New  York  Herald,  and 
various  English  papers.  Am  looking-for  letters  to  niglit.  Shall  I  not 
devour  them? 

Evening.  Kept  my  bed  till  seven.  I  read  God's  word  and  bowed  in 
prayer,  with  my  window  open,  not  like  Daniel,  towards  Jerusalem,  but 
like  your  husband,  towards  Boston.  It  is  a  refreshing  thought,  that  six 
or  seven  hours  hence  you  will  remember  me  before  God  my  preserver. 
It  is  good  to  trust  in  him  at  all  times,  and  to  pour  out  the  heart  be- 
fore him. 

June  2.  Another  mail  has  come  in,  and  no  letter.  Well,  I  can  wait 
for  the  next.  It  is  "  Ascension  Day."  The  shops  are  closed,  and  the 
people  throng  the  churches.  It  seems  like  a  New  England  Sabbath. 
Kept  quiet  till  towards  evening,  then  took  a  cup  of  tea  with  bread  and 
honey ;  and  as,  in  the  condition  of  my  health,  I  could  not  walk,  and,  as  I 
greatly  needed  fresh  air,  I  went  on  board  of  a  gondola  just  under  my 
window,  and  was  rowed  a  few  miles  up  the  lake.  I  was  alone,  and 
made  the  excursion  in  silence.  The  lake  lies  in  the  form  of  a  crescent, 
between  high  hills.  The  shores  are  lined  with  pretty  villages,  and  the 
slopes  of  the  hills,  highly  cultivated,  are  dotted  with  white  dwellings  that 
have  an  air  of  thrift  and  elegance.  Along  the  south  and  south-west 
horizon  tower  the  mighty  Alps,  looking  rough  and  cold.  The  descend- 
ing sun  was  hot,  but  I  was  sheltered  by  an  awning.  1  made  an  effort  to 
enjoy  the  scenery,  and  partially  succeeded;  but  I  wanted  some  one  to 
whom  I  could  speak  a  single  sentence. 

Evening.  At  six  o'clock  I  was  walking  in  front  of  the  hotel,  and  form- 
ing my  plans  for  leaving  to-morrow,  when  I  saw  the  postman  coming. 
I  sprang  towards  him,  and  at  once  caugiit  sight  of  a  letter  bearing  my 
name.  The  letter  had  stopped  at  Basel,  and  only  by  a  kind  Providence 
had  reached  me. 

Lucerne,  June  4.  I  left  Zurich  this  morning  quite  too  much  indis- 
posed to  journey,  and  yet  hoping  that  change  of  scene  might  revive  me. 
The  direct  distance  was  only  about  forty  miles,  and  yet,  to  avoid  the  dili- 
gence, I  came  hy  rail  through  B;iden,  Aarau,  and  Olten,  nearly  a  hundred 


286  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

miles.  The  route  was  through  heautiful  vallej-s  shut  in  by  snow- 
covered  mountains.  I  am  very  happily  disappointed  in  this  part 
of  Switzerland.  There  is  much  of  industry  and  thrift.  The  people 
interest  me  more  than  any  I  have  yet  seen.  1  am  at  the  Gasthof  zum 
Schuanen,  with  a  room  looking  up  the  lake,  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water, 
blue  as  the  Ehone,  embosomed  in  high  mountains.  Before  me,  too,  is 
the  Rhigi,  of  which  you  heard  the  B.'s  speak.  I  can  see  distinctly  the 
hotel  on  the  summit. 

June  5.  This  is  my  seventh  Sabbath  away.  It  rains,  and  the  clouds 
cover  all  the  mountains.  Alone  in  my  chamber  I  have  read  Psalms 
xlii.-xlviii.  Never  before  have  I  so  valued  and  relished  the  blessed 
Bible.  By  it  my  Father  speaks  to  me  words  of  instruction  and  com- 
fort. This  has  been  the  happiest.Sabbath  since  I  left  home.  Though 
very  unwell,  I  have  found  my  chamber  a  Bethel.  My  thoughts  riso  out 
of  this  deep  mountain  dell,  and  cross  over  the  land  and  sea,  and  look 
into  your  chamber,  and  then  into  my  study ;  but  they  are  empty.  I  fol- 
low you  to  the  sanctuary  at  the  morning  service.  But  how  soon  the 
sweet  cliarm  is  broken !  I  turn  to  my  window.  The  rain  has  ceased ; 
the  sun  is  coming  out;  Rhigi  is  in  sight;  a  little  steamer  is  coming  up  to 
the  quay;  the  blue  lake  is  as  smooth  as  a  mirror.  I  am  not  in  Boi?ton; 
I  am  in  the  heart  of  Switzerland,  not  far,  on  tlie  one  hand,  from  where 
Zwingle  preaciied  the  doctrine  of  the  Reformation,  and  finally  fell  in  a 
battle ;  and  on  the  other,  from  the  spot  where  William  Tell  perished  in 
his  struggle  for  his  country's  freedom.  You  are  hearing  tlie  word  of 
God.  I  am  gazing  on  the  works  of  God.  Both  teach  the  same  lessons 
as  to  the  divine  power ;  each  is  the  interpreter  of  the  other.  The  Lord 
bless  you,  and  fill  your  heart  with  his  love. 

To  his  Avife. 

Geneva,  June  9,  1859 

My  last  was  from  Lucerne,  Sunday  evening.  Tlie  next  morning  I 
started  on  a  little  steamer  for  an  excursion  up  the  lake.  The  scenery 
of  this  lake  is  said  to  be  unsurpassed  by  any  in  Switzerland.  It  is  very 
irregular  in  shape,  and  presents  views  of  the  mountains  both  grand, 
awfully  grand,  and  beautiful  beyond  description.  Butii  shores  are 
marked  by  places  of  historic  interest  connected  witli  the  life  and  ex- 
ploits of  William  Tell,  of  whom,  in  my  boyhood,  I  read  nmch.  At 
Fluelen,  the  head  of  the  lake,  we  took  a  carriage,  and  rode  up  along  a 
rapid  torrent  to  Buglen,  Tell's  birthplace,  and  where,  in  a  humane 
attempt  to  rescue  a  drowning  child,  he  perished  in  the  swollen  tiood. 
At  Altdorf,  a  little  below,  we  saw  the  spot  from  which,  at  the  command 
of  the  tyrant  Gessler,  he  shot  with  his  cross-bow,  at  eighty  yards,  the 
apple  from  the  head  of  his  little  son.     Ill  as  I  was,  I  enjoyed  the  excur- 


CORKESPONDEKCE.  287 

sion.  Tlic  pleasure  was  augiiiented  on  our  return  by  the  company  of  a 
Bchoolmaster  and  fifty  boys,  wlio  sang  Swiss  songs,  and  made  the  moun- 
tains echo  witii  their  melody.  Kcturned  at  sunset.  At  nine  the  cathe- 
dral bell,  on  which  is  the  mediaeval  inscription,  "  Vivos  voce,  mortuos 
plango,  fulgura  frango,"  rang  out  over  lake  and  mountain.  In  the 
morning  decided  to  proceed  to  Berne,  seventy-five  miles  by  railway, 
with  the  intention,  if  possible,  of  proceeding  to  Interlaken.  Left 
Lucerne  with  many  pleasant  recollections.  Tiie  route  to  Berne  was 
through  most  interesting  scenery,  but  the  inflammation  in  my  eyes, 
occasioned  yesterday  by  the  reflection  of  the  sun  from  the  snow,  would 
not  allow  the  feast. 

Wednesday  morning.  Tliougli  I  did  not  finish  up  Switzerland,  I  felt 
that  a  regard  for  my  health  required  rest,  and  needed  treatment,  and  I 
took  the  first  train  for  Nidau,  on  tlie  Bielu  Lake,  thence  by  steamer 
down  Lake  Neufchatel  to  Yverdun,  and  from  that  place  to  Geneva  by 
rail.  From  Lake  Neufchatel  are  some  of  the  finest  views  of  the  Alpine 
range ;  but  I  could  not  stay  on  deck.  Between  Lausanne  and  Geneva 
we  had  a  most  terrific  thunder-storm.  Came  to  the  Plotel  des  Bergues, 
and  took  a  room  on  the  third  floor  front,  and  retired.  You  will  see  by 
the  papers  what  a  terrible  battle  was  fought  last  Saturday,  on  ground 
over  which  we  passed  April  2,  1841,  between  Milan  and  Novara.  The 
French  and  Sardinians  are  driving  back  the  Austrians,  and  all  Western 
Europe  is  rejoicing.  I  am  glad  enough  to  be  out  of  the  regions  where 
the  sympathy  is  with  Austria,  and  where  travellers  are  constantly  an- 
noyed.    Next  to  home,  I  am  now  where  I  would  be. 

Yesterday,  the  Emperor  of  France  and  the  King  of  Sardinia  entered 
Jlilan  in  great  pomp.  Ail  tlie  talk  here  is  of  the  war.  To  me,  exulta- 
tion over  such  butchery  of  human  beings  is  horrible.  O,  the  brutality 
of  man !  Nothing  so  tests  my  faith  in  the  prophecies  as  travelling 
among  these  millions.  Will  Germany,  Italy,  Switzerland,  France  ever 
be  converted  to  Christ.'' 

June  11.  This  morning  it  was  pleasant,  and  I  went  to  the  city  library 
tj  see  what  I  always  regretted  I  did  not  see  when  here  before  —  the  por- 
traits and  manuscripts  of  the  great  reformers,  Wickliffe,  Huss,  Luther, 
Melanchthon,  Calvin,  Beza,  Zwingle,  &c.,  &c.  The  hour  spent  there 
was  one  of  great  interest. 

June  12.  At  ten  A.  M.  went  to  St.  Peter's  Church,  and  had  a  seat 
near  where  j'ou  and  I  sat  April  11,  1841.  The  services  were  such  as 
you  remember  —  the  same  old  organ  and  congregational  singing,  the 
pauses  in  the  sermon,  &c.  Then  I  walked  for  an  hour  in  the  Protes- 
tant cemetery  —  a  rural  spot,  full  of  trees,  shrubbery,  and  flowers. 
Saw  the  graves  of  John  Calvin,  Sir  Humphry  Davy,  and  several 
Americans. 


iioy  MEMOIR    OF    DE.    STOW. 

To  his  wife. 

Brussels,  Jul}'  4,  1859. 

Dr.  Bigelow  advised  me  not  to  undertake  tlie  journey;  but  as  I  was 
anxious,  if  jjossible,  to  intercept  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.,  who  had  informed  me 
they  were  coming  to  the  Continent  by  way  of  Belgium,  I  left  Paris 
without  a  regret.  On  Saturday  came  liere  by  the  express  train  in  eight 
hours. 

I  am  at  tlie  Plotel  de  Saxe,  a  quiet,  airy  house.  Have  a  room  on  the 
"  premiere  etage,"  looking  into  a  court  filled  with  shrubbery  and  singing 
birds.  Yesterday  I  kept  quiet  until  towards  evening,  when  I  walked  to 
the  cathedral,  Place  des  Martyrs,  Grand  Place,  Place  des  Congrt^s,  the 
Botanical  Garden,  and  saw  much  to  admire. 

This  is  Independence  Day,  and  with  a  party  of  English  and  Ameri- 
cans, I  have  been  to  Waterloo.  This  has  been  one  of  my  most  interest- 
ing excursions.  We  passed  two  hours  walking  over  the  famous  battle- 
field where  the  great  Napoleon's  sun  of  glory  set  in  blood,  June  11, 
1815.  An  old  English  soldier,  who  was  in  the  battle,  explained  every- 
thing intelligibly. 

I  like  Brussels.  The  upper  part  of  the  city  is  beautiful,  and  here  I 
have  a  more  contented  and  home-like  feeling. 

To  his  wife. 

London,  July  11,  1859. 

The  treatment  of  Dr.  B.  in  Paris  was  very  successful.  My  visit  to 
Belgium,  where  I  met  friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  P.,  and 
the  B.'s,  contributed  greatly  to  my  happiness. 

On  Friday,  the  8th,  went  on  board  steamer  Rhine,  passed  down  the 
River  Scheldt  seventy-two  miles,  then  across  the  German  Ocean,  and  up 
the  Thames,  arriving  in  London  Saturday,  at  nine  A.  M.  Was  kindly 
welcomed  by  Mrs.  Moore,  and  assigned  a  room  looking  westward  — 
liomeivard. 

Sunday  morning  I  went  with  three  American  gentlemen  to  Surrey 
Garden,  to  hear  Mr.  Spurgeon.  What  a  congregation  !  Having  a  shil- 
ling ticket,  I  had  a  good  seat  in  the  lower  gallery.  Though  we  were 
there  an  hour  before  the  service,  yet  two  thousand  people  were  already 
seated. 

I  tried  to  repress  all  curiosity,  and  worship  God.  Mr.  Spurgeon  was 
suffering  from  hoarseness,  and  evidently  spoke  with  pain.  I  could 
sympathize  with  hiiu,  and  must  not  give  my  impression  of  the  man's 
preaching,  for  it  is  hardly  just  to  criticise  a  speaker  with  an  inflamed 
throat.  I  hope  to  hear  him  again.  The  congregational  singing  was 
grand.     I  have  heard  many  of  the  best  organs   on  the  Continent,  but 


CORRESPONDENCE.  289 

none  of  them  gave  me  such  music  as  swelled  from  these  ten  thousand 
voices.     Tliey  sang  New  Tiverton  and  the  German  Hymn. 

Monday  morning  I  wont  to  the  Mission  House,  and  had  a  pleasant 
interview  with  Mr.  Underhill,  one  of  the  secretaries.  Then,  by  invita- 
tion, went  at  eleven  A.  M.  to  breakfast  witli  the  delegates  from  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of  Great  Britain.  There  was  intro- 
duced to  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  and  heard  him  speak. 

We  here  have  family  worship  at  Mrs.  Moore's,  and  she  has  appointed 
me  chaplain.  How  precious  the  privilege,  after  the  privation  of  nearly 
tliree  months ! 

July  12.  I  dined  witli  the  Underwood  fomily  to-day.  It  was  so  good 
to  sit  down  with  a  Christian  family,  and  talk  of  the  interests  of  Christ's 
kingdom  !  With  what  relish  shall  I  return  to  my  proper  work  —  precious 
home-laboring  for  the  spiritual  good  of  my  people  ! 

Pray  for  me,  that  I  may  profit  by  this  absence. 

To  Deacon  H.  Lincoln. 

London,  July  17,  1859. 

I  should  have  written  you  more  frequently  but  for  the  sadness  of 
heart  with  which  I  have  been  oppressed.  You  have  enough  of  that  ele- 
ment without  any  addition  from  me. 

While  last  at  Paris,  I  had  the  benefit  of  medical  treatment  that  was 
of  essential  service  to  me,  so  that  I  went  to  Belgium  with  some  com- 
fort. In  London  I  am  forming  acquaintances  with  good  men  of  vari- 
ous denominations,  whom  I  admire  and  love. 

Ere  this  shall  reach  Boston  (or  Saratoga)  you  will  have  learned  that 
on  Monday  last  the  two  bull-dog  emperors  met  and  made  peace.  All 
Europe,  glad  enough  to  have  peace,  is  indignant  at  the  terms,  and  you 
may  be  sure  the  end  is  not  yet.  Napoleon  III.  has  deceived  the  world, 
and  will  be  called  to  account  for  his  conduct. 

To  his  wife. 

London,  July  25,  1859. 

To-day  I  have  engaged  passage  in  steamship  Europa.  Leaves  27th 
August.  Happy  day  when  I  reach  that  dear  home,  around  which  my 
heart's  aflTections  tenaciously  cling. 

Have  several  excursions  to  make  before  leaving  London.  I  have 
visited  the  Crystal  Palace,  the  Britisli  Museum,  the  Zoological  Gardens, 
&c.,  &c.,  and,  by  the  kindness  of  Sir  S.  M.  Peto,  M.  P.,  spent  an  even- 
ing on  the  floor  of  the  House  of  Conmions. 

Have  heard  Baptist  Noel,  Dr.  Cumming,  Mr.  Birrell,  and  Mr.  Spurgeon 
again,  and  found  many  pleasant  friends.  I  shall  take  your  advice,  seeing 
as  much  of  England,  Ireland,  and  Scotland  as  my  time  and  funds  per- 
19 


290  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

mit;  but.ray  disappointment  in  regard  to  the  East  is  keen.  Wlien  1 
think  of  narrating,  even  to  you,  what  I  have  seen,  the  sickening  thought 
comes  up,  "  I  cannot  tell  of  Jerusalem,  and  Bethlehem,  and  Hebron, 
and  the  Jordan,  and  the  ]\Iount  of  Olives,  &c.,  &c." 

Evening.  Just  taken  a  long  walk,  and  visited  one  of  the  ragged 
schools.  Jt  will  give  me  a  pleasant  hour  with  my  people  to  tell  them 
of  this  form  of  service. 

July  14.  Have  just  read  the  death  of  young  Nott,  of  New  York;  also 
Drs.  Belcher  and  Harrison.  They  rest  from  their  labors.  "  Blessed 
rest." 

July  28,  Thursday  evening.  Early  yesterday  morning  Drs.  Phelps 
and  Gillette,  Dr.  Child  and  myself,  started  by  the  North-western  Rail- 
way for  an  excursion  into  the  Midland  counties.  First  we  went  to  Bed- 
ford, and  saw  all  the  remaining  memorials  of  John  Bunyan ;  then  to 
Elstow,  to  the  cottage  in  which  he  was  born ;  then  to  Cardington,  the 
home  of  John  Howard,  the  pliilanthropist;  thence  to  Kettering,  the 
scene  of  Andrew  Fuller's  labors ;  this  morning  to  Northampton,  where 
we  saw  much  in  connection  with  Dr.  Ryland  and  Dr.  Doddridge ;  thence 
to  Olney,  to  see  the  house,  garden,  and  summer-house  of  the  poet 
Cowper. 

Returned  to  London  tliis  evening,  having  travelled  two  hundred  miles, 
and  enjoyed  two  days  of  real  pleasure. 

To  his  wife. 

London,  August  4,  1859, 

Last  evening  yours  and  M.'s  of  the  17th  reached  me.  How  great 
God's  goodness  in  preserving  us  all,  and  giving  us  the  prospect  of  a 
happy  reunion  in  our  dear  home ! 

Saturday  morning  the  B.'s  arrived,  and  I  am  to  have  their  company 
through  Scotland,  Ireland,  Wales,  and  HOME. 

Sunday  I  heard  Dr.  Hamilton,  Regent  Square,  in  the  morning,  and 
Mr.  Brock  in  the  evening.  Thus  I  have  heard  all  the  great  guns  in 
London. 

Warwick,  August  3.  This  morning  a  party  of  four  of  us  left  the  Pad- 
ington  Station,  and  in  one  hour  and  twenty-five  minutes  were  at  Ox- 
ford, sixty-three  miles  from  London.  There  we  visited  for  three  hours 
among  the  nineteen  colleges,  seeing  much  of  which  I  had  often  read. 
Was  deeply  interested. 

At  four  P.  M.  we  came,  in  one  hour,  —  forty-three  miles,  —  to  this 
place,  engaged  rooms  at  a  hotel,  and  then  went  to  the  castle,  where  we 
were  taken  through  all  the  apartments  of  the  Earl  of  Warwick,  grounds, 
&,c.,  &c. 

We  have  before  us  three  weeks  in  which  to  see  castles,  cathedrals, 


CORRESPONDENCE.  291 

abbeys,  parks,  mountains,  lakes,  &c.,  &c.,  all  of  which  I  shall  note,  and 
try  to  ronieniber  for  your  benefit. 

Good  night. 

Birmingham.  We  took  a  "  fly"  this  morning,  and  drove  to  Stratford- 
on-Avon.  There  we  entered  the  room  where  Shakespeare  was  born ; 
also  the  church  where  he  was  interred,  and  saw,  in  a  private  cabinet,  a 
variety  of  articles  that  belonged  to  him. 

We  walked  over  the  Avon  by  the  foot-bridge,  and  through  tlic  mead- 
ow, returning  by  another  bridge.  Saw  all  that  was  possil)Ie  in  two 
hours,  then  returned  to  Warwick,  eiglit  miles,  and  "  by  rail "  twenty- 
two  to  Birmingham,  stopping  at  Dee  Royal  Hotel,  wiiich  you  re- 
member. 

Early  to-morrow  morning  we  leave  for  York,  one  hundred  and  thirty 
miles  north,  to  see  the  famous  Minster;  then  to  Edinburgh,  one  hundred 
and  seventy  miles  farther,  there  to  pass  the  Sabbath,  and  hear  some 
rare  preaching.  Shall  keep  full  notes.  Can  hardly  write  you  particu- 
lars.    Hope  for  all  when  we  meet. 

To  his  wife. 

August  14,  1859. 

Last  Wednesday  evening  we  left  Edinburgh  for  Stirling,  where  we 
visited  the  famous  old  castle  and  other  objects  of  interest.  Tiien  went 
by  rail  to  Callender,  and  hired  a  carriage  to  take  us  througli  the  Tros- 
achs,  by  the  way  of  Loch  Vennachar  and  Loch  Orchray.  A  heavy  rain 
obscured  our  view  of  the  scenery.  We  stopped  at  the  Trosachs  Hotel, 
and  proceeded,  Friday  morning,  through  the  wild  pass  of  the  Trossachs 
to  Loch  Katrine,  through  which  we  passed  in  a  small  steamer,  and 
viewed  on  either  side  the  points  rendered  famous  by  Scott's  Lady  of  the 
Lake. 

At  Stronachlachar,  the  foot  of  Loch  Katrine,  we  hired  an  open  car- 
ruTge,  and  drove  through  Rob  Roy's  country  to  Inversnaid,  on  Loch 
Lomond,  and  visited  the  beautiful  cascade,  &c ;  then  came  by  steamer 
through  the  whole  of  Loch  Lomond,  thirty-live  miles  in  extent.  Tlie 
scenery  was  very  interesting.  At  Balloch  we  took  the  rail  for  Glasgow, 
passing  near  Dumbarton  Castle,  and  along  the  Clyde  to  Glasgow.  This 
is  a  city  of  tliree  hundred  and  fifty  tiiousand  inhabitants,  and  one  of  the 
most  busy  and  prosperous  in  Great  Britain. 

One  thing  charms  me  in  Scotland  —  the  perfect  quietness  of  the  Sab- 
bath. My  room  looks  across  one  of  the  bridges,  and  up  a  long  street. 
Not  a  wheeled  vehicle  do  I  see,  and  very  few  pedestrians.  I  look  from 
my  window  down  the  quays  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  full  of  shipping, 
but  nothing  is  doing.  How  different  all  over  the  Continent !  Blessed 
be  Scotland  for  her  reverence  for  God's  holy  day !     I  wish  I  could  see 


292  MEMOIR   OF   DE.    STOW. 

Boston  as  quiet  as  is  Glasgow  to-day,  and  as  one  week  ago  I  saw  Edin- 
burgh ! 

We  have  yet  to  see  portions  of  Ireland  and  North  Wales,  —  a  circuit 
of  five  hundred  miles,  — and  then,  — 

"  Over  the  deep  blue  sea." 

Belfiist,  August  17.  We  left  Glasgow  j-esterday,  and  came  hither, 
first  down  the  Clyde,  then  across  the  Irish  Sea.  The  weather  is  so 
thick  and  damp  I  am  prevented  from  going  to  the  Giant's  Causeway,  as 
intended.  I  resign  that  pleasure,  and  attend  a  union  prayer  meeting, 
where  I  shall  learn  many  facts  respecting  the  powerful  revival  now  pre- 
vailing in  Belfast  and  other  parts  of  Ulster. 

To-morrow  we  go  to  Dublin,  where  we  stop  until  Monday,  and  tiien 
proceed  to  North  Wales. 

Three  weeks  from  to-night  I  hope  to  be  with  you,  never  to  separate 
again  —  no,  never  till  death. 

Before  commencing  a  new  chapter,  pursuing  the  plan  whicli 
we  have  carried  out  in  the  previous  images  of  this  Memoir,  we 
laj  before  our  readers  extracts  from  the  correspondence  of 
the  last  two  or  three  years. 

To  Mrs.  Partridge. 

BosTOK,  February  12,  1856. 

I  am  not  a  stranger  to  the  exercises  which  you  describe.  My  ministry 
of  nearly  twenty-nine  years  has  led  me  into  contact  with  many  minds 
similarly  troubled,  and  all  my  knowledge  of  the  human  heart,  of  Satan's 
devices,  and  of  God's  dealings  with  his  children,  has  been  thoroughly 
tested  in  my  efforts  to  enlighten  and  comfort  the  suffering.  Some 
cases  have  been  on  my  hands  for  months,  and  both  my  intellect  and  my 
heart  have  been  tested  to  their  utmost  in  labors  to  facilitate  their  deliv- 
erance. More  than  this,  I  have  personal  experience  of  the  same  sor- 
rows, and  know  their  bitterness.  O,  how  often  have  I  prepared  and 
preached  sermons  for  the  instruction  and  the  comforting  of  others, 
when  I  had  not  the  light  of  God's  countenance,  and  feared  lest  I  should 
myself  be  a  castaway  ! 

In  my  own  case,  I  have  ordinarily  found  relief  just  as  I  did  at  first, 
in  December,  1818,  by  a  full  submission  of  myself  to  the  will  of  God. 
Sensible  of  my  utter  unworthiness  and  vileness,  I  saw  but  one  refuge. 
I  was  shut  up  to  the  faith  of  one  remedy.  The  Saviour  said,  "  Come 
tinio  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest." 
"  Uim  that  cometh  vnto  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out."  By  coming  to 
him,  just  as  1  was,  helpless  and  dependent,  and  relying  upon  him  as 


COMFOKT    TO    A    DISTRESSED    SOUL.  293 

"  mighty  to  save,"  I  have  always  found  him  true  to  his  word.  Ife  gave 
v.ie  rest.  lie  did  not  reject  me.  He  "  cam.e  into  the  world  to  save  sin- 
ners." He  died  and  rose  again  to  save  sinners,  "//e  ever  liveth  to 
m,ake  intercession  for  us."  "  Looking  unto  Jesus  "  has  been  my  only 
resource.     It  never  yet  failed. 

In  dealing  witli  others,  however  confident  I  have  been  of  their  safe 
estate,  I  have  never  undertaken  to  convince  them  that  they  were  Chris- 
tians, for  they  would  baffle  me  in  every  argument,  and  I  would  thus  do 
them  no  good.  My  uniform  endeavor  has  been  to  present  scriptural 
views  of  the  character  of  God,  and  of  the  plan  of  salvation,  and  to  get 
them  to  go  to  Christ  as  sinners,  and  believe  in  Him  who  is  both  able  and 
willing  to  save  the  worst.  Nothing  is  gained  by  raking  over  the  rubbish 
of  past  experience  for  some  ground  of  hope.  All  that  is  a  dishonor 
done  to  Christ.  He  is  our  Saviour  to-day,  and  he  only.  The  soul,  in 
all  its  stages  of  experience,  must  look  away  from  everything  else  to  him, 
and  cast  itself  wholly  on  him.  All  along  our  course  to  heaven's  gate 
there  is  one  direction,  with  one  promise  —  "  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved."  "  Only  believe"  and  the  blessing  is 
sure. 

O,  my  dear  suffering  sister,  my  heart  bleeds  for  you.  Fain  would  I 
lead  you  to  Jesus.  ^'Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away  the 
sin  of  the  world.''  Do  not  offend  him  by  doubting  either  his  ability  or 
his  willingness  to  save  you.  Look  to  his  cross,  and  see  how  much  he 
loved  you.  At  the  foot  of  that  cross  lay  yourself,  with  all  your  bur- 
dens, and  fears,  and  griefs. 

"  Just  as  I  am,  without  one  plea, 
But  that  thy  blood  was  shed  for  me, 
And  that  thou  bidd'st  me  come  to  thee, 
O  Lamb  of  God,  I  come." 

There,  my  loved  and  loving  sister,  is  your  only  help.  One  act  of 
faith  in  Jesus  Christ  will  do  for  you  what  all  the  universe  cannot  do 
apart  from  it.  The  simple  question,  then,  is,  Will  you  trust  Christ  as 
your  all?  Methinks  I  hear  you  firmly  say,  "  I  will."  The  contest  is 
ended.  The  burden  rolls  off".  You  have  peace.  You  cast  yourself  at 
the  feet  of  your  Deliverer,  and  pour  out  the  tears  of  gratitude,  and 
promise  that,  by  his  grace,  you  will  never  again  look  elsewhere  for  com- 
fort. 

"  I  cannot  half  his  love  express; 
Yet,  Lord,  with  joy  my  lips  confess, 
This  blessed  portion  1  possess, 
O  Lamb  of  God,  in  thee. 


294  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

To  the  same. 

Boston,  March  2,  1856. 

I  wrote  you  on  the  12th  ult.  in  answer  to  yours  of  the  7th.  Since 
then  you  have  seldom  been  out  of  my  mind,  and  I  am  hoping  to  liear 
that  tlie  clouds  liave  all  cleared  away  from  your  liorizon,  and  that  you 
have  the  clear  shining  of  the  Sun  of  righteousness.  My  daily  prayer 
has  been  that  God  would  lift  upon  you  the  light  of  his  countenance, 
and,  as  "  the  God  of  hope,"  fill  you  with  all  joy  and  peace  in  believing. 

I  have  lately  been  unusually  interested  in  Psalm  ciii.,  and  have 
preached  upon  parts  of  it,  especially  from  the  eleventh  to  the  eighteenth 
verses  inclusive.  My  general  theme  has  been  the  greatness  of  God's 
•mercy  to  his  people  —  its  height,  verse  eleven ;  its  breadth,  verse  twelve ; 
its  depth,  verse  thirteen ;  its  duration  in  contrast  with  the  brevity  of 
human  life,  verses  fifteen  to  eighteen.  His  is  "  loving-kindness  and  ten- 
der mercy."  How  much  of  it  we  have  experienced !  Well  does  David 
say,  "Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  forget  not  all  his  benefits."  Now 
I  remember  tliat  the  first  time  I  ever  heard  our  dear,  precious  mother 
speak  in  meeting  she  quoted  these  words.  It  was  at  the  house  of  "  Father 
Kibbey,"  in  December,  1818,  just  after  I  had  spoken,  avowing  my  hope 
in  Christ,  and  my  purpose  to  live  a  new  life.  She  rose  and  commenced 
with  that  language.  O,  how  fresh  in  my  memory  her  looks,  her  tones 
of  voice,  at  that  moment !  Dear  mother,  may  I  not  fail  to  reach  that 
blissful  world  where  thou  dost  bless  the  Lord,  and  forget  none  of  his 
benefits!  And  really,  how  can  we  here  omit  to  bless  him?  How  can 
we  forget  his  mercies?  The  tendency  of  my  own  mind  is  to  depression. 
I  look  too  much  on  the  dark  side  of  everything,  and  am  not  grateful,  as 
I  should  be,  for  God's  constant  goodness  and  abounding  grace.  I  have 
often  to  stir  up  my  inner  nature  by  recounting  my  many  mercies,  and 
calling  upon  all  within  me  to  praise  the  Lord.  I  am  always  the  hap- 
piest when  I  am  most  thankful.     Is  not  gratitude  the  spirit  of  heaven? 

To  the  same. 

Boston,  April  21,  185G. 

Our  paths  have  lain  through  different  scenes  —  some  joyous,  some 
afflictive;  but  God  has  led  us  every  step  of  the  way.  Not  more  cer- 
tainly did  he  conduct  Israel  in  the  wilderness,  than  he  has  guided,  and 
protected,  and  provided  for  us  —  now  more  than  half  a  century.  A 
review  of  his  paternal  care  and  goodness  ought  not  only  to  awaken  our 
gratitude,  but  also  to  inspire  our  confidence.  His  object,  manifest  at 
ten  thousand  points,  has  been  to  bring  us  to  "  a  city  of  habitation."  I 
have  just  been  reading  Newton's  hymn,  166  in  the  Social  Psalmist,  — 

"  Begone,  unbelief  j  my  Saviour  is  near,"  &c. 


TRUE    SOLACE    UNDER   SPIRITUAL    TRIALS.  295. 

And  I  can  adopt  it,  and  so  can  you.  I  have  suffered  much  in  my  own 
mind  during  the  last  six  months.  Some  of  the  time  I  have  felt  as  if 
passing  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death.  But  the  Great 
Shcplierd  has  not  forsaken  me,  and  thougli  vile  and  unworthy,  I  have 
his  promise  that  he  will  never  leave  nor  forsake  me.  Can  I  not  trust 
him?  Is  not  his  grace  sw^cien^  for  me?  Is  not  his  character,  as  re- 
vealed in  Christ,  a  rock  of  repose?  When  I  look  at  Calvary  I  see  my 
blessed  liedeemer  loft  in  darkness,  and  I  hear  him  cry,  "  My  God,  my 
God,  wliy  hast  tliou  forsaken  me  ?  "  No  answer  was  returned.  But  I 
understand  that  he  hung  there  in  anguish  and  spiritual  gloom  for  my 
sake.  He  was  forsaken  tiiat  I  might  not  be  forsaken.  Justice  will  not 
put  the  cup  to  my  lips  which  my  Lord  has  drained  to  the  dregs  for  my 
benefit. 

O,  my  sister,  do  we  realize  what  a  Saviour  we  have?  Has  he  not 
borne  all  for  our  sakes?  What  less  can  we  do  than  trust  him  with  all 
our  hearts  ?  Could  I  see  you,  how  would  I  preach  to  you  "  Jesus  and 
the  resurrection  " !  There  is  in  him  a  fullness  that  "  passeth  knowl- 
edge." Who  can  comprehend  its  height  or  depth, its  breadtli  or  length? 
Let  us  believe  in  him.  Let  our  simple  faith  be  the  conduit  through 
which  his  grace  shall  flow  into  our  souls,  thus  filling  us  '"  with  all  the 
fullness  of  God."  If  I  am  a  believer,  I  am  "the  least  of  all  saints;  " 
but  I  do  see  a  glory  in  the  once  crucified,  now  exalted,  Jesus,  and  I 
long  to  love  and  serve  him  better  than  I  do.  I  come  short  every  day  of 
my  duty,  and  even  of  my  purposes.  Constantly  I  have  occasion  to  say, 
"God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner;  "  and  he  is  merciful.  He  multiplies 
pardons ;  he  does  what  he  requires  of  us,  forgiving  seventy  times  seven. 
Thus  the  saving  process  goes  on  by  repentance  and  faith,  repentance 
and  faith,  all  the  way  through.  Only  by  "  looking  unto  Jesus"  have  we 
peace  and  joy. 

"  When  I  turn  my  thoughts  within, 
All  is  dark,  and  vain,  and  wild." 

But  when  I  look  to  Him  who  bled  for  me,  and  now  intercedes  for  me, 
then  I  have  hope.  I  am  notliing.  He  is  "  all  and  in  all."  How  glo- 
rious the  assurance,  "Ye  are  complete  in  him"!  "  His  blood  cleanseth 
us  from  all  sin."  O  Christ,  I  cling  to  thee  as  my  only  hope !  What 
shall  separate  me  from  thy  love?  Hast  thou  not  said,  "Because  I  live, 
ye  shall  live  also".''  Lord,  help  me  to  trust  tliee  without  wavering,  to 
follow  thee,  however  dark  and  diflScult  the  pathway  in  which  thou  mayst 
lead  me. 


296  MEMOIK   OF   DR.    STOW. 

To  the  same. 

Boston,  February  7,  1857. 

A  pastor  called  on  one  of  his  parishioners,  just  in  the  dusk  of  the  even- 
ing, and  found  a  little  boy  sitting  in  the  doorway,  holding  firmly  a  string, 
and  looking  up  into  the  deepening  gloom.  "  What  are  you  doing  here, 
my  little  friend?  "  said  the  minister.  "I  am  flying  my  kite,  sir,*' re- 
plied the  boy.  "  Your  kite.? "  said  the  minister.  "I  see  no  kite,  and 
you  can  see  none."  "  I  know  it,"  quickly  answered  the  little  fellovr  ; 
*'  but  I  am  sure  it  is  there,  for  I  feel  it  pull." 

It  is  often  thus  with  the  Christian.  He  is  interested  in  something 
abo'te  him.  All  is  gloom;  he  can  see  nothing;  but  his  affections  are 
attached  to  heavenly  things ;  and  so  long  as  he  feels  these  heavenly 
things  pulling  upward,  he  knows  that  the  connection  is  not  dissolved. 
One  of  the  most  difficult  of  Christian  attainments  is  to  trust  God  in  the 
darh.  What  though  we  see  him  not?  What  though  he  is  silent.?  Yet, 
if  our  hand  is  in  his,  if  he  holds  us  up,  and  leads  us,  and  throws  around 
us  his  paternal  care,  why  should  we  not  be  assured  of  his  love?  We 
must  not  choose  in  disregard  of  iiis  will ;  we  must  not  dictate  as  to  the 
manifestations  witli  which  we  will  be  satisfied.  "  Not  as  I  will,  but  as 
thou  wilt,"  is  the  example  set  us  by  Ilim  who  redeemed  us. 

Our  hope  is  said  to  be  "  as  an  anchor  of  the  soul,  hath  sure  and  stead- 
fast. An  anchor  tiiat  is  seen  renders  no  service  ;  but  when  it  is  unseen, 
down  many  fiithoms  beyond  the  reach  of  vision,  it  lias  hold  of  the  bot- 
tom of  the  troubled  sea,  and  there  it  is  useful.  "  Hope  that  is  seen  is 
not  hope,"  &c.  Rom.  viii.  24,  25.  We  must  not  expect  "open  vis- 
ion "  in  this  world.  "  We  see  through  a  glass  darkly."  "  We  walk  by 
faith,  not  by  sight."  "  Whom,  not  having  seen,  ye  love."  We  must 
learn  to  trust  and  obey,  for  those  are  the  fundamental  elements  of  all 
personal  godliness.  I  remember,  while  our  dear  fother  was  ill  — I  think 
in  1815  —  he  read  the  Life  and  Diary  of  David  Brainerd.  One  morning 
very  early,  as  Royal  and  I  lay  in  the  trundle-bed,  I  was  awake,  and 
overheard  father  say  to  motlier  that  he  thought  Brainerd  "  made  too 
nmch  account  of  frames  and  feelings,  for  his  hope  rose  and  fell  with  his 
happiness  or  unhappiness."  That  remark  I  have  pondered  much  in  my 
heart.  Hope  is  the  effect  of  faith.  Joys  are  incidental  things,  of  very 
little  worth  as  evidence  of  Christian  character.  "Therefore  being 
justified  by  faith,"  &c.     Rom.  v.  1. 

To  Rev.  C.  W.  Flanders. 

Boston,  February  11,  1857. 

It  has  been  said  that  "  the  sanctuary  of  private  grief  is  sacred."  Rec- 
ognizing this  truth,  I  am  slow  to  obtrude  my  foot  within  such  a  sanc- 
tuary, lest,  with  the  best  intentions,  I  might  trespass  upon  territory  con- 


TUE    SYMPATIIIZIXG    HEART.  297 

Becratcd  to  heart  sorrows.  But  I  remember  the  inspired  requirement, 
"  Weep  witli  them  tliat  weep ;  "  and  I  remember,  too,  the  gohlen  rule, 
"  All  tlnngs  whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do  unto  you,"  &c. 

You  do  not,  I  am  sure,  !aek  for  sympatiiizers  in  your  repeated  afflic- 
tions ;  but  I  cannot  forbear  to  volunteer  tiie  assurance  to  you,  as  one  whom 
I  have  learned  to  love,  that  my  heart  has  been  touciied  by  the  informa- 
tion of  your  double  bereavement.  You  feel  yourself  stricken  by  tlie 
hand  of  God.  As  a  brother  I  would  fain  place  myself  by  your  side,  and 
say  or  do  anything  that  might  assuage  your  anguish,  or  encourage  you 
patiently  to  endure.  Accustomed  as  you  are  to  administer  consolation 
to  others,  and  familiar  as  you  are  with  that  magazine  of  comforts,  the 
Bible,  I  need  not  refresh  your  memory  with  the  many  "  exceeding  great 
and  precious  promises  "  which  abound  in  true  solace  to  the  afflicted. 
Your  mind  has  reverted  to  them  all;  you  have  applied  "them  all;  you 
have  found  them  equal  to  all  the  purposes  for  which  you  Iiave  com- 
mended them.  You  know  the  way  to  the  mercy-seat.  You  have  gone 
thither  for  ligiit  and  peace,  and  there  God,  your  own  God,  has  met  and 
blessed  you. 

Ministers,  like  other  Christians,  are  often  afflicted  for  their  own  good, 
but  perhaps  quite  as  frequently  for  the  benefit  of  their  people  —  2  Cor. 
i.  4-6.  Henceforth,  my  dear  brother,  you  will  be  able  more  tenderly 
and  deeply  to  sympatliize  with  the  sutferings  of  your  flock.  You  will 
better  understand  the  Scriptures,  and  therefore  you  will  be  a  better 
preacher.  After  all,  there  is  no  theology  for  either  the  pulpit  or  for 
pastoral  visitation  like  the  experimental.  The  Saviour,  whom  we  com- 
mend, was  "made  perfect  through  sufferings."  His  most  useful  ser- 
vants are  perfected  in  the  same  way.  There  are  souls  like  the  alabas- 
ter vase  of  ointment,  very  precious,  which  shed  no  perfume  of  holiness, 
Iccause  a  great  sorrow  has  never  broken  them.  Great  good  may  yet 
accrue  to  your  flock  from  this  discipline,  and  consequently  great  glory 
to  your  Lord. 

To  Rev.  N.  M.  Williams. 

Boston,  April  20,  1857. 

Your  allusion  to  your  dear  father  touched  me  tenderly.  I  loved  him ; 
1  respected  him;  and,  during  the  long  period  of  our  acquaintance,  1 
always  felt  that  I  should  like  to  pass  my  eternity  with  "  a  great  multi- 
tude "  of  just  such  as  N.  W.  Williams  —  the  more  the  better.  It  grati- 
fies me  to  know  that  his  children  do  not  forget  their  father's  friend. 
Your  note,  now  before  me,  is  indicative  of  a  feeling  which  he,  in  nu- 
merous instances,  manifested  towards  me  in  seasons  of  trial,  and  which 
often  cheered  me  to  endure  patiently  tlie  burdens  of  life.  In  the  de- 
parture of  such  men  as  your  father.  Dr.   Sharp,  Dr.  BoUes,  Professor 


298  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

Knowles,  Mr.  Jacobs,  &c.,  I  have  looked  around  for  the  ministers  in 
whom  I  could  equally  confide,  and  from  whom,  in  my  afilictions,  I  could 
hojie  for  words  and  acts  assuring  me  that  their  vacancies  were  likely  to 
be  supplied.  In  you  I  have  not  been  disappointed,  and  I  cannot  give 
you  a  better  testimony  than  bj'  saying  that  you  do  not  dishonor  the 
name  of  Nathaniel.  May  the  richest  blessing  of  Him  who  saw  one  of 
that  name  •'  under  the  fig  tree  "  rest  ever  upon  you  and  all  yours. 

To  all  the  Saints  in  Christ  Jesus  which  are  at  Howe  Street, 

Boston. 

"  Grace  be  unto  you,  and  peace,  from  God  our  Father,  and 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  I  thank  my  God  upon  every  remem- 
brance of  you,  always  in  every  prayer  of  mine  for  you  .all 
making  request  with  joy,  for  your  fellowship  in  the  gospel 
from  the  first  day  until  now ;  being  confident  of  this  very 
thing,  that  He  which  hath  begun  a  good  work  in  you  will 
perform  it  until  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ :  even  as  it  is  meet 
for  me  to  think  this  of  you  all,  because  I  have  you  in  my 
heart ;  inasmuch  as  both  in  my  bonds,  and  in  the  defence  and 
confirmation  of  the  gospel,  ye  all  are  partakers  of  my  grace. 
For  God  is  my  record,  how  greatly  I  long  after  you  all  in 
the  bowels  of  Jesus  Clirist.  And  this  I  pray,  that  your  love 
may  abound  yet  more  and  more  in  knowledge  and  in  all  judg- 
ment ;  that  ye  may  approve  things  that  are  excellent ;  that 
ye  may  be  sincere  and  without  oflTence  till  the  day  of  Christ ; 
being  filled  with  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  which  are  by 
Jesus  Christ,  unto  the  glory  and  praise  of  God." 

Beloved  in  Christ  Jesus :  Though  I  am  one  of  the  ini- 
worthiest  of  pastors,  yet  from  my  heart  I  can  adopt  these 
apostolic  sentences ;  and  they  express  my  feelings  more  ac- 
curately than  any  language  that  I  can  frame.  My  interest 
in  you  is  not  abated  by  absence,  or  by  any  measure  of  per- 
sonal stiffering.  For  your  peace,  your  purity,  yotu-  growth  in 
grace,  your  love  one  to  another,  your  zeal  and  usefidness  in 
the  cause  of  our  common  Master,  I  daily,  hourly  pray.  In 
all  your  gatherings  for  public  or  social  worship,  I  am  with 
you  in  spirit.  How  gladly  I  would  be  with  you  in  person, 
God  is  my  record.     No  one  of  you,  I  fondly  presume,  im« 


PASTORAL   ADDRESS.  299 

agines  that  I  am  away  seeking  my  owu  gratification.  I  love 
my  liome  and  its  endearments  too  well ;  and  I  love  my  work, 
with  all  its  cares  and  responsibilities,  too  well  to  be  unneces- 
sarily absent,  an  idle  exile,  rendering  to  no  one  any  service^ 
and  cut  off  from  almost  every  social  enjoyment.  Were  I 
able  to  do  for  you  more  than  I  can  do  here,  forty-eight  hours 
would  show  me  among  you,  doing  it  to  the  extent  of  my 
ability.  I  am  here  the  prisoner  of  Providence,  and,  though 
not,  I  hope,  sinfully  impatient,  yet  I  long  to  be  loosed  from 
these  bonds,  that  I  may  go  to  my  own  company.  The  word 
of  the  Lord  is  as  a  fire  shut  up  in  my  bones,  and  I  am  weary 
of  forbearing,  and  I  would  fliin  be  preaching  to  you  the  un- 
searchable riches  of  Christ.  This,  I  trust,  will  yet  be  my 
privilege  ;  for,  though  I  have  not  thus  far  derived  much  bene- 
fit from  my  experiment,  I  am  still  hoj^eful  as  to  the  ultimate 
result.  When  I  left  home,  I  thought  it  probable  that  I  might 
return  in  four  weeks,  and  so  be  with  you  at  our  next  church 
meeting.  Of  that  privilege  I  am  likely  to  be  denied.  When 
I  shall  be  able  to  resume  labor  is  quite  uncertain.  I  am  in 
the  hands  of  Him  Avhose  I  am  and  whom  I  serve.  I  desire 
to  be  submissive  to  his  will.  Let  us  lay  the  Avhole  case  before 
his  throne,  and  say,  in  the  spirit  of  the  resigned  Sufferer  who 
bore  for  us  the  cross,  "  Father,  glorify  thy  name."  The 
delay,  I  trust,  will  not  be  long.  Pray  for  me,  that  I  may  be 
wisely  directed,  and  humbly  patient. 

For  some  days  you  have  been  occupied  with  the  anniver- 
saries. Would  that  I  could  hoi)e  to  find  you  benefited  by 
their  influence!  My  own  experience  has  taught  me  that, 
apart  from  special  watchfulness,  the  effect  of  such  meetings 
is  to  dissipate  the  minds  of  Christians,  and  thus  be  unfavora- 
ble to  their  spirituality.  God  grant  that  the  meetings  in 
Boston  may  leave  behind  them  a  savor  wholly  good,  con- 
tributing to  your  individual  holiness.  In  my  seclusion,  I 
know  very  little  of  what  has  been  said  or  done.  My  prayer 
throughout  lias  been  that  God  would  direct  his  servants  in 
all  things,  and  give  them  largely  of  the  spirit  of  their  un- 
selfish Master. 


300  MEMOIR    OF   DE.    STOW. 

I  can  report  nothing  of  interest,  for  I  see  very  few  persons, 
and  hear  comparatively  notliing  from  the  ministers  and 
churches  in  this  latitude.  I  have  attended  public  worship 
once  each  Sabbath,  and  found  it  good  to  wait  upon  God  in 
his  house  ;  but  I  have  met  with  very  little  that  reminds  me  of 
Rowe  Street,  except  by  dissimilarity  and  contrast. 

Dear  brethren  and  sisters,  do  you  appreciate  your  priv- 
ileges ?  Are  you  grateful  for  the  "  goodly  heritage  "  which 
the  Lord  has  given  you  ?  Are  you  living  and  laboring  for 
Him  who  has  so  i^eculiarly  distinguished  you,  and  crowned 
you  with  so  many  tokens  of  his  loving  kindness  ?  Do  you 
bring  forth  the  fruits  of  grace  in  a  godly  life,  and  in  efforts  to 
advance  the  Redeemer''s  kingdom  ?  Do  you  desire  the  sal- 
vation of  souls,  and  prove  it  by  prayers  of  fliith  and  labors  of 
love  ?  How  much  do  you  know  of  selt-denial  and  cross- 
bearing  for  Christ's  sake  ?  Are  you  all  walking  in  the  narrow 
way  that  leadeth  unto  life  ?  Are  you  actually  following 
Christ,  and  does  the  world  see  that  you  resemble  him,  and 
are  every  month  becoming  more  like  him  ? 

"  Let  every  man  prove  his  own  work ;  then  shall  he  have 
rejoicing  in  himself,  and  not  in  another." 

Accept  this,  dear  Christian  friends,  as  a  very  imj^erfect 
token  of  my  interest  in  your  welfare.  "  May  the  grace  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  all." 

Your  truly  affectionate  pastor, 

Bakon  Stow. 

Baltimoke,  May  20,  1867. 


KECORD    OF   WOKK    RE-COMMENCED.  301 


CHAPTER   XX. 

Ministerial  Work  recommenced.  —  Discouragements.  —  Reminis- 
cences OF  Anniversart  Periods.  —  The  Dark  Days  of  the 
War.  —  Conflicts  of  Feeling.  —  A  happy  Surprise.  —  Journal. 
—  Criticisms  on  Eobertson,  Bowles,  and  Hugo. — Views  on 
"Evangelism."  —  Ravages  of  Death. — Review. 

1859-1866. 

So  far  as  personal  comfort  was  concerned,  Dr.  Stow  did 
not  derive  the  pleasure  from  his  second  trip  abroad  that  he 
did  from  his  first.  He  was  poorly  fitted  to  travel  alone.  His 
heart  craved  the  companionship  of  congenial  spirits,  and  the 
absence  of  the  religious  associations  to  which  he  had  so  long 
been  accustomed  made  him  sigh  for  his  home,  and  the  round 
of  religious  duties,  in  the  discharge  of  Avhicli  he  found  his 
chief  joy.  It  was  out  of  a  soul  overflowing  with  grateful 
emotions  that  he  wrote  in  his  journal,  September  12,  1859, — 

First  Sabbath  at  home.  It  was  good  to  reenter  the  loved  sanctuary, 
and  conduct  the  worship  of  my  loved  people.  Though  the  day  has  been 
rainy,  the  attendance  has  been  large.  Preached  in  the  morning  from 
Psalm  ciii.  2;  afternoon,  from  Psalm  xlii.  1,  2;  evening,  occupied  an 
hour  in  sketches  of  the  great  revival  in  Ireland  and  Scotland.  It  has 
been  a  good  day.     O,  how  sweet  to  be  at  home ! 

And  now  recommences  the  record  of  his  work,  so  similar 
in  many  respects  to  what  we  have  already  laid  before  our 
readers,  and  yet  each  event  recorded  having  about  it  some 
peculiar  interest,  which,  in  his  view,  made  it  stand  out  promi- 
nent from  all  the  other  events  of  his  life  of  multifarious  toil  in 
the  vineyard  of  his  Master.  He  makes  a  statement  under  date 
of  February  12,  1860,  which,  we  doubt  not,  was  one  of  great 
sadness  to  him  —  that  for  ten  months  he  had  not  had  among; 


o02  MEMOTK    OF    DR.    STOW. 

his  people  a  single  earnest  inquirer ;  and  lie  adds  that  such  a 
period  he  had  not  known  in  a  ministry  of  thirty-eight  years. 
In  addition  to  this  want  of  the  visible  fruits  of  his  ministerial 
work,  which  weighed  so  heavily  upon  his  spirits,  there  were 
other  things  also  Avhich  dei^ressed  him.  Some  of  the  causes 
which  had  operated  in  leading  him  to  resign  his  pastoral 
charge  at  Baldwin  Place  Church  were  at  work  in  making 
Rowe  Street  a  less  inviting  field  of  labor.  Commerce  wa.s 
pressing  its  irresistible  way  into  the  locality,  and  in  almost 
every  direction,  massive  warehoiises  were  rising  from  their 
granite  foundations,  and  forcing  the  families  which  had  lived 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  church  to  seek  for  homes  in  other 
parts  of  the  city.  Every  year  it  might  reasonably  be  ex- 
pected that  the  burdens  would  rest  more  heavily  upon  those 
who  could  not  feel  that  the  time  had  come  to  abandon  the 
locality  in  which,  for  so  many  years,  they  had  found  their  re- 
ligious home.  Many  persons  from  sincere  convictions  that 
the  time  for  removal  had  not  come,  and  many  from  ardent 
attachment  to  the  spot  endeared  to  them  by  so  many  hal- 
lowed associations,  could  not  make  up  their  minds  that  they 
must  turn  away  from  the  sanctuary  they  so  much  loA'ed,  to 
rear  in  another  section  a  temple  for  the  worship  of  their 
God  and  Saviour.  Meanwhile  the  most  casual  observer  could 
not  foil  to  see  that  the  vital  forces  of  the  religious  society 
were  being  weakened,  and  a  feeling  of  discouragement  was 
creeping  over  the  hearts  of  both  pastor  and  people.  The 
position  of  any  church  situated  as  the  Rowe  Street  Church 
was  beginning  to  be,  is  trying  in  the  extreme.  Dr.  Stow 
loved  his  church,  and  they  loved  him.  But  neither  could 
blind  their  eyes  to  the  true  position  of  affairs.  Neither  the 
fidelity  and  earnestness  of  the  pastor,  nor  the  desire  of  the 
church  to  cooperate  with  him  in  laudable  methods  for  the  pro- 
motion of  the  cause  of  Christ,  could  change  the  laws  of  social 
life,  or  modify  the  action  of  the  causes  which  were  at  work  in 
turning  a  section  of  the  city,  once  the  home  of  a  large  number 
of  families,  into  the  marts  of  trade  and  the  scene  of  a  busy 
activity,  to  meet  the  all-engrossing  demands  of  a  prosperous 


ANNIVERSARY    OCCASIONS.  303 

commerce.  The  Rowc  Street  Cliiurli,  like  several  other 
churches  in  its  neighborhood,  was  obliged  at  last  to  yield  to 
the  pressure,  and  to  remove  to  another  locality ;  but  in  reach- 
ing the  conclusion  to  do  this,  it  is  hardly  possible  for  us  to 
realize  what  a  struggle  it  cost. 

We  have  noticed  how  much  Dr.  Stow  made  of  anniver- 
saries —  periods  of  peculiar  interest  in  his  life  and  experi- 
ence. Among  the  most  prominent  of  these,  to  which,  in  the 
journal  of  almost  every  year,  he  makes  special  allusion,  are 
the  day  of  his  birth,  that  of  the  death  of  his  fither,  for  whose 
memory  lie  ever  cherished  the  most  profound  reverence  and 
affection,  and  the  days  of  his  baptism  and  ordination.  In  like 
manner  the  anniversary  of  his  marriage  was  always  alluded 
to  with  the  most  tender  interest,  and  he  is  ever  thanking  God 
that  he  gave  to  him  the  wife  of  his  choice,  whose  love  for  him 
had  never  wavered. 

In  the  following  record  he  alludes  to  several  of  these  pe- 
riods, which  he  loved  to  recall :  — 

June  16.  Fifty-nine  years  ago  to-day  my  mother  gave  me  birth. 
Thirty-eight  years  ago  to-day  I  left  dear  home  for  Washington,  to  pur- 
sue my  studies  in  the  Columbian  College.  Nineteen  years  ago  to-day 
I  returned,  with  my  dear  wife,  from  my  first  trip  to  Europe.  One  year 
ago  to-day  I  was  travelling,  lonely  and  sick,  from  Geneva  to  Chamouni. 
Forty-one  years  ago  Wednesday,  the  13th,  I  preached  my  first  ser- 
mon, at  the  age  of  eighteen.  Since  then  I  have  labored  very  imperfect- 
ly, but  God  has  blessed  my  poor  endeavors  beyond  my  expectations. 

November  21.  Anniversary  of  my  dear  fathet's  death.  Forty  years 
in  heaven!  Does  he  know  I  am  thinking  of  him?  How  grateful  I  feel 
for  his  counsels  of  wisdom,  guiding  my  youthful  feet  in  the  paths  of 
purity  and  peace !  I  do  not  register  my  thoughts  at  the  remembrance 
of  my  dear  mother.  She  died  far  away,  and  the  picture  of  her  depart- 
ure was  never  imprinted  on  my  memory.  Would  that  it  were !  She 
was  beloved  by  me,  as  was  my  father.  Her  faithfulness  to  me,  her  ef- 
forts for  my  welfare,  her  sacrifices  for  my  good,  her  holy  example,  her 
godly  teachings,  I  can  never,  never  forget.  She  has  been  more  than 
fourteen  years  in  heaven.     The  memory  of  my  parents  is  precious. 

The  course  of  events  has  brought  us  to  the  dark  and  try- 
ing period  in  our  national  history,  when  the  horrors  of  civil 


304  MEMOIR    OF    BR.    STOW. 

war  cast  a  black  pall  of  gloom  over  the  whole  land.  Famil- 
iar although  the  story  may  be  to  the  readers  of  this  Memoir, 
they  may  be  glad  to  know  how  the  exciting  times  on  which 
we  are  now  entering  affected  so  devout  and  earnest  a  spiiit 
as  that  of  Dr.  Stow.  Under  date  of  December  3,  1860,  he 
writes,  — 

The  political  excitement  is  becoming  more  violent,  and  ominous  of 
bad  results.  Lord,  lay  tliy  restraining  hand  upon  madmen,  and  let  them 
not  involve  our  country  in  disaster.  0,  what  aspects  do  we  see  of  hu- 
man nature ! 

December  15.  The  cloud  over  our  country  daily  grows  thicker  and 
darker.  I  see  not  how  we  are  to  avoid  a  rupture  of  the  bonds  of  our 
Union,  and  consequent  civil  war.  "None  of  the  men  of  might  have 
found  their  hands."  We  have  no  Clay  or  Webster  to  step  in  with  tiieir 
healing  counsels.  For  years  our  ablest  statesmen  have  been  thrown 
into  the  background,  and  third-rate  men  have  been  put  forward  —  dema- 
gogues lacking  wisdom  and  moral  principle,  men  who  could  raise  a 
whirlwind,  but  knew  not  how  to  control  it. 

Our  help  is  in  God  alone ;  but  1  fear  the  people  will  not  humble  them- 
selves, and  seek  his  interposition.  In  their  madness  they  have  forsaken 
him,  and  it  appears  as  if  he  might  leave  us  to  our  destruction.  Would 
that  we  miglit  have  national  fastings  and  prayers  !  We  are  a  "  sinful 
nation,"  laden  with  iniquity,  and  must  repent  and  turn  to  God,  or  we 
are  undone. 

December  16.  Such  is  the  state  of  the  people's  minds  with  reference 
lo  our  political  and  financial  troubles,  that  preaching  the  gospel  is  quite 
useless.  The  prospect  before  us  is  gloomy  indeed.  In  my  day  there 
has  been  nothing  like  it. 

December  17.  The  president  has  appointed  Friday,  January  4,  1861, 
as  a  da}'  of  fasting,  humiliation  and  prayer,  with  reference  to  the  pres- 
ent condition  of  our  country.  Will  the  people  regard  this  summons? 
Will  they  bow  before  God,  and  implore  his  interposition? 

December  IS.  My  mind  is  distracted  and  worried  by  public  calami- 
ties. O,  to  realize  in  personal  experience  the  truth,  "  Thou  wilt  keep 
him  in  perfect  peace  whose  mind  is  stayed  on  thee :  because  he  trusteth 
in  thee." 

A  convention  is  now  in  session  in  South  Carolina,  and  is  to-day  ex- 
pected to  pass  the  fatal  ordinance  of  secession  from  the  Union.  O  God, 
appear  in  that  convention,  and  give  the  members  a  better  mind ! 
Change  their  counsels,  and  save  our  land  from  the  fearful  effects  of 
their  contemplated  rashness.  Our  hope  is  in  thee  alone.  Forsake  us 
not  utterly. 


JOURNAL.  305 

January  4,  1861.  National  fast.  We  have  met  three  times  to-day  to 
pray  for  our  country.  Our  meetings  were  eminently  satisfactory.  The 
prayers  were  appropriate,  fervent,  and  in  harmony. 

January  11.  In  union  witii  Christians  throughout  the  world,  we  have 
observed  this  as  a  week  of  prayer.  Tiie  great  burden  of  petition  has 
been  for  "  our  distracted  country."  Every  evening  we  have  laid  our 
requests  before  Ilim  who  only  can  help  us.  Every  day  the  darkness 
thickens. 

January  IG.  Reading  Milllcr's  Life  of  Trust  —  a  most  remarkablo 
book.     It  is  a  lesson  to  this  age.     God  bless  it  to  me. 

March  4.  To-day  Abraham  Lincoln,  of  Illinois,  is  to  be  inaugurated 
President  of  the  United  —  alas  !  now  dis-united  —  States.  Unprece- 
dented interest  is  felt  in  the  programme  of  policy  which  he  will  indicate 
of  his  administration.  Ilis  position  is  one  of  great  difficulty,  and  much 
prayer  has  been  offered  for  him  that  he  may  have  wisdom  from  above. 
My  only  consolation  is,  that  "  the  Lord  reigneth."  Never  have  I  seen 
the  foolishness  of  human  wisdom  so  perfectly  illustrated  as  during  the 
four  months  of  our  national  troubles.  What  a  spectacle  have  we  pre- 
sented to  the  nations  of  the  old  world ! 

April  13.  The  war  is  begun !  Yesterday  morning  the  secessionist 
forces  commenced  an  attack  on  Fort  Sumter,  at  Charleston,  S.  C.  This 
is  but  the  beginning  of  an  end  known  only  to  God.  My  heart  sickens 
at  the  prospect. 

April  17.  The  excitement  is  deep  and  all-pervading  in  the  free  states. 
The  determination  is  earnest  to  sustain  the  government.  This  evening 
a  regiment  of  volunteers  passed  our  door  on  their  way  to  Washington 
for  the  protection  of  the  capital,  which  is  threatened  by  the  secession- 
ists. My  heart  was  sickened  in  France,  in  May,  1859,  as  I  saw  the 
troops  moving  by  tens  of  thousands  towards  Italy ;  but  it  was  a  sadder 
sight  to  see  our  young  men  going  soutli,  to  kill  and  be  killed.  O  God, 
interpose,  and  save  my  country  from  the  horrors  of  civil  war! 

April  19.  "  He  shall  not  be  afraid  of  evil  tidings  ;  his  heart  is  fixed, 
trusting  in  the  Lord."  Every  day  brings  evil  tidings.  Virginia  has 
seceded,  and  other  slave  states  are  going.  How  precious  now  iz  the 
forty-sixth  psalm  !     I  read  it  over  and  over.     It  is  rich  ! 

May  18.  The  preparations  for  armed  conflict  are  becoming  more 
and  more  formidable.  God  only  knows  what  sorrows  are  to  be  multi- 
plied upon  our  unhappy  country.  I  hope  much  from  the  prayers  of 
our  Christian  people,  who  are  bending  devoutly  and  earnestly  at  the 
mercy-seat.  May  they  pray  like  Jacob,  and  Moses,  and  Elijah,  and 
Daniel.     O  Lord,  hear,  and  come  and  save  us. 

June  10.     No  trial  of  strength,  as  yet,  between  the  government  troops 
and  the  secessionists.     Great  preparations  have  been  made,  and  there 
will  soon  be  collision.     O,  my  heart  sickens  at  the  prospect.     God  of 
20 


806  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

mercy,  look  down  upon  us  in  pity,  and  stay  the  brutal  passions  of  men 
Is  there  no  way  to  avoid  bloodslied  and  desolation?  Slavery,  I  am  sure, 
is  doomed,  be  the  result  of  this  contest  as  it  may.  But  how  can  figliting 
bring  about  the  love  and  amity  necessary  to  the  continuance  of  our  Union 
as  a  nation  ?  Dark,  dark  to  me  is  the  future.  Lord  of  mercy,  help  me  to 
resign  the  whole  matter  into  thy  hands,  and  trust  thy  wisdom  and  fiiitli- 
fulness.  Help  me  to  go  on  with  my  evangelical  work  with  unwearied 
fidelity,  and  calmly  await  the  developments  of  thy  wise  and  holy  provi- 
dence. Tliou  art  above  all,  and  doest  all  things  well.  I  will  trust,  and 
I'.ot  be  afraid. 

June  17.  I  am  sad.  I  cannot  leave  our  national  troubles  wholly  in 
the  hands  of  God,  and  thus  have  rest  and  peace.  I  know  I  am  often 
sinfully  anxious  and  distrustful.  O,  for  more  of  the  tranquillity  of  faith  ! 
I  know  that  God  will  do  right,  and  yet  I  wish  him  to  do  what  /  regard 
as  right.  When  shall  I  reacli  the  point  where  I  shall  be  in  full  sympa- 
tliy  with  my  Master,  and  cordially,  with  no  reservation,  say,  "Not  ray 
will,  but  tliine  be  done?  " 

November  1.  Received  a  letter  from  my  nephew,  S.  B.  Partridge,* 
stating  he  is  about  to  enter  the  United  States  army  as  a  lieutenant. 
He  graduated  in  August  at  Middlebury  College,  and  had  in  view  the 
work  of  the  Christian  ministry.  His  mother,  brother,  and  sisters  gave 
their  full  consent,  believing  that  his  duty  lay  in  that  direction.  He 
goes  with  my  blessing.  Would  that  our  armies  were  made  up  of  such 
as  he. 

March  8,  1862.  On  Thursday,  President  Lincoln  sent  a  message  to 
Congress  bearing  upon  the  question  of  Emancipation, — keeping  carefully 
within  constitutional  limits;  yet  foreshadowing  a  policy  to  which,  under 
certain  conditions,  it  may  be  necessary  to  resort.  This  war  cannot  last 
mucli  longer  without  an  onset  upon  slavery,  of  the  most  determined 
cliaracter.  The  more  carefully  I  watch  the  course  of  events,  the  more 
convinced  am  I  that  God  has  put  his  hand  to  that  great  question,  —  the 
underlying  cause  of  all  our  present  troubles,  —  and  that  he  will  in  some 
way,  vindicate  the  claims  of  four  millions  of  slaves  to  be  treated  as 
human  beings. 

May  24.  The  fate  of  the  nation  seems  to  me  to  be  depending  upon 
events  now  near  at  hand.  I  can  do  little  else  than  pray  for  our  armies, 
now  on  the  eve  of  great  conflicts.  O  for  the  "  perfect  peace  "  of  him 
"  whose  mind  is  stayed"  on  God!  Will  he  permit  the  cause  of  wrong 
to  triumph?  Lord,  stand  by  our  generals,  and  give  them  victory.  My 
heart  aches  with  solicitude.  Lord,  increase  my  faith  ;  enable  me  to  trust, 
and  not  be  afraid.  I  turn  to  the  Bible,  and  find  it  sweeter  than  ever ! 
Precious  book!  do  I  not  love  thee? 
August  31.     A  sad,    sad   Sabbath!     Soon  after  commencing  public 

*  Now  a  missionary  to  the  Chiuese  at  Bangkok,  Slam. 


PRACTICAL    CHRISTIANITY.  307 

worship  this  morning  I  received  a  message  from  the  surgeon  general 
of  tlic  state,  requesting  me  to.  dismiss  my  congregation,  and  set  all  mv 
people  at  work  preparing  bandages,  lint,  and  other  hospital  comforts  for 
our  wounded  soldiers.  Tlie  reports  of  the  numbers  killed  and  wcjunded 
yesterday  and  tlie  day  previous  aue  appalling.  I  responded  at  once  to 
the  demand,  and  all  are  busy  doing  the  needed  work.  At  five  o'clock 
this  evening  a  train  is  to  leave  with  surgeons,  hospital  stores,  &c.  We 
are  in  an  agony  of  susi)ense,  —  not  knowing  of  either  defeat  or  victory. 
O,  how  terrible  tliis  war! 

At  four  P.  M.  I  went  to  tlie  Tremont  Temple,  and  witnessed  a  most 
aftecting  scene  —  at  least  fifteen  hundred  women  at  work,  making  ban- 
dages, lint,  compresses,  &c.  Men  were  assisting  in  various  departments. 
From  appearances,  enough  will  be  sent  from  Boston  to  meet  the  wants 
of  thousands  of  poor  sufferers.  1  thought  of  Christ's  teachings  — 
Matthew  xii.  1-13,  and  Luke  xiii.  10-17.  What  Sabbath  service  more 
acceptable  to  him  than  works  of  humanity?  Dr.  Reynolds  said  to  me, 
"  This  is  a  glorious  day!  Here  you  have  a  demonstration  of  the  spirit 
of  your  Lord  and  Master."  As  I  looked  on,  I  could  not  refrain  from 
tears.     My  heart  pronounced  blessings  upon  these  patriotic  women. 

Amid  these  (.listractiiig  scenes,  as  many  of  us  vividly  re- 
member, the  pastors  of  our  churches  hibored  on,  with  but  lit- 
tle, coni]»aratively,  to  encourage  them  in  their  special  religious 
Avork.  Men's  minds  were  necessarily  preoccupied  with  mat- 
ters connected  with  the  war ;  and  in  those  terrible  weeks  and 
months  of  susj^ense,  through  which  the  country  was  passing, 
we  may  not  wonder  if,  for  the  time,  the  higher  spiritual  inter- 
ests of  the  soul  should  be  ovei'looked.  "  Nothing  is  plainer," 
writes  Dr.  Stow,  "than  that  I  am  powerless.  God  only  can 
move  my  people.  Month  after  month  I  toil  on,  without  know- 
ing that  I  do  the  least  good."  A  little  light  seemed  to  dawn 
on  the  prospects  of  his  church.  A  proposition  had  been  made 
to  unite  with  the  Shawmut  Avenue  Church,  then  under  the 
l»astoral  care  of  Rev.  Dr.  Parker;  and  it  was  at  one  time  seri- 
ously entertained,  but  was  subsequently,  and,  as  the  event  has 
sh(j\vn,  wisely  abandoned. 

It  is  interesting  to  notice  the  phases  through  which  the 
mind  of  Dr.  Stow  passed,  as  the  fortunes  of  war  turned  ou 
one  side  or  the  other.  The  writer  remembers  very  distinctly 
conversing  with  him,  the  latter  part  of  June,  1863,  on  the 


308  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

position  of  our  uational  affairs,  and  finding  liim  in  a  most 
discouraged  mood  of  mind.  Mattca's  looked,  he  said,  fearfully 
gloomy.  He  would  be  glad  to  take  encouraging  views,  but 
where  was  lie  to  turn  for  them  ?  The  enemy,  in  strong  force, 
was  moving  across  Maryland,  above  Harper's  Ferry,  into 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  authorities  did  not  seem  to  know  at 
what  they  were  aiming,  whether  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  or 
Washington,  or  all  together.  Meanwhile,  so  far  as  it  ai)peared, 
Hooker  was  doing  nothing  to  resist  them.  A  few  days  elajise, 
and,  in  exultant  tones,  he  writes  that  the  news  is  favorable 
from  Pennsylvania.  "  To-day  we  hear  of  the  fall  of  Vicks- 
burg,  that  stronghold,  \mder  General  Peraberton,  having  sur- 
rendered to  General  Grant  on  the  4th  of  July.  The  last 
week  was  a  glorious  one  for  the  Union  cause.  The  rebellion 
is  by  no  means  broken,  but  it  is  greatly  weakened." 

We  continue  our  extracts  from  the  journal  of  Dr.  Stow, 
with  special  reference  to  matters  connected  with  the  war. 
Alluding,  July  23,  1864,  to  the  feeling  of  discouragement  that 
was  growing  among  the  people,  he  says,  "  I  wish  I  could  see 
some  honorable  mode  of  restoring  peace,  and  stopping  the 
effusion  of  blood.  But  I  see  none  so  long  as  the  South  insists 
upon  a  division  of  the  Union,  and  a  recognition  of  the  Con- 
federacy." 

August  31.  The  President  of  the  United  States  has  requested  tliat 
thanks  might  be  returned  to-day  in  the  cliurches  for  recent  victories. 
Other  ministers,  I  presume,  have  preached  on  national  affairs.  I  have 
endeavored  faithfully  to  preach  the  gospel  of  Christ.  In  prayer  I  en- 
deavored to  comply  with  the  president's  wishes.  By  no  process  could  I 
bring  xny  mind  to  a  preaching  service  tliat  would  be  likely  to  be  inter- 
preted as  promoting  partisan  ends.  I  can  preach  for  my  country ;  for 
party  I  cannot.  I  am  earnestly  in  fevor  of  the  reelection  of  Abraliara 
Lincoln ;  but  I  cannot  help  him  in  my  pulpit.  This  has  been  my  rule 
from  the  beginning,  not  to  prostitute  my  vocation  in  any  political  prefer- 
ences.    "  I  am  set  for  tlie  defence  of  the  gospel." 

March  1,  18Go.  Much  anxiety  is  felt  for  General  Sherman,  wlio  is 
moving  into  North  Carolina,  and  to  check  wliose  movements  the  rebels 
are  "  concentrating"  their  scattered  divisions.  Having  cut  loose  from 
his  base  at  Savannah,  he  had,  at  last  dates,  reached  no  other.  Whence 
come  his  commissary  stores?     His  movement  is  a  bold  one.     Is  it  safe? 


JOURN^AL.  309 

He  has  become  the  idol  of  our  people.  Is  he  not  in  danger  of  being 
overthrown?  When  a  man  becomes  popular  for  a  certain  thing,  he  is 
very  apt  to  undo  in  that  direction.  Lord,  preserve  him,  direct  him,  and 
make  liiin  fsuecessful. 

March  S.  No  news  from  General  Sherman  since  he  left  Columbia, 
S.  C.  He  is  supposed  to  be  moving  north;  but  of  his  movements  even 
the  government  knows  nothing,  and  probably  will  not  until  he  gets  far 
into  North  Carolina,  and  can  communicate  with  Wilmington.  Whence 
come  his  supplies  for  so  largo  a  force?  His  expedition  is  certainly  a 
bold  one.  Happy  if  it  prove  not  a  rash  one.  I  know  nothing  of  mili- 
tary affairs;  but,  looking  at  Sherman's  enterprise  in  the  light  of  com- 
mon sense,  its  wisdom  appears  to  me  doubtful.  Should  it  be  successful, 
it  will  be  a  wonder  in  history. 

March  11.  Read  cheerfully  Ezek.  vii.  —  a  most  extraordinary  chap- 
ter. Who  ever  wrote  like  the  prophets  ?  What  a  description  is  that 
of  the  desolations  coming  upon  Jerusalem!  and  what  a  commentary  to 
subsequent  history ! 

April  15.     Painful  news  —  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln. 

Evening.  This  has  been  a  day  of  gloom  through  all  the  loyal  states. 
Nothing  since  the  death  of  Washington  has  so  affected  the  people. 
The  mourning  for  his  tragical  end  is  profound  and  sincere.  In  medi- 
tating upon  this  event,  some  questions  have  arisen. 

Is  it  not  possible  that  Mr.  Lincoln  had  fulfilled  his  mission,  and  done 
all  that  he  was  best  capable  of  doing? 

Having  united  the  country  in  breaking  down  the  military  power  of 
the  rebellion,  was  he  tlie  man  to  inaugurate  and  carry  through  a  plan 
for  the  reconstruction  of  the  Union? 

ilay  not  his  death  at  this  time  and  under  such  circumstances,  have 
been  a  necessity  for  the  deepening  of  an  impression  as  to  the  "barba- 
rism of  slavery,"  and  the  strengthening  of  a  determination  that  the  ac- 
cursed system  shall  be  effectually  rooted  out? 

Was  not  this  calamity  needed  to  strike  an  awe  into  the  heart  of  the 
nation  respecting  tlie  supremacy  of  God,  and  as  a  warning  not  to  de- 
pend upon  an  arm  of  flesh? 

Had  not  Mr.  Lincoln  reached  the  acme  of  his  glory,  and  was  not  his 
death  at  this  juncture  necessary  to  put  his  name  in  history  without  a 
blot  ? 

May  not  his  successor  be  the  man  to  take  up  the  work  just  at  thi3 
point,  and  finish  it  with  desirable  thoroughness  ? 

I  pretend  not  to  interpret  the  designs  of  Providence ;  but  I  am  sure 
that  God  has  some  great  purposes  to  accomplish  by  this  seeming  disas- 
ter, lie  may  still  be  trusted.  O,  that  all  the  people  may  adore  him, 
and  reverently  await  the  development  of  his  designs ! 


310  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

But  we  have  dwelt  longer,  perhaps,  than  we  ouglit  to  have 
done  on  the  stirring  events  which  so  deeply  interested  the 
exceedingly  sensitive  nature  of  the  subject  of  this  Memoir. 
In  the  midst  of  the  record  of  these  exciting  transactions,  we 
find  a  picture  of  early  home  life  and  exj^eriences,  which  seems 
like  a  gentle  strain  of  music  borne  over  the  waters  of  a  tem- 
pestuous sea. 

July  9.  Sky  cloudless.  A  lovely  Sabbath  indeed.  I  am  reminded 
of  summer  Sabbaths  in  boyhood,  when  I  "went  to  meeting"  at  the  Old 
Meeting-house,  on  "  Baptist  Hill,"  in  Newport,  N.  H.  Thomas  Brown 
was  the  preacher,  and  as  I  sat  in  the  window  in  the  west  gallery,  in- 
stead of  listening  to  the  preaching,  I  watched  the  river  winding  down 
a  deep  valley,  and  I  looked  over  the  hill-sides  on  fields  of  grain  and 
grass  waving  in  the  wind;  at  the  shadows  of  the  clouds  moving  across 
the  landscape  of  wild  forests  and  cultivated  farms.  How  soothing  were 
those  views  !  how  suggestive  of  real  beauty  !  My  soul  hath  them  still  in 
remembrance. 

It  will  be  remembered  how  much  interest  was  awakened 
in  the  circles  of  religious  thinkers  by  the  publication  of  the 
works  of  Rev.  F.  W.  Robertson.  We  will  let  Dr.  Stow  ex- 
press his  own  opinion  on  this  remarkable  man,  although  we 
are  aware  that  many  of  the  admirers  of  this  gifted  clergyman 
will  differ  somewhat  from  this  opinion. 

December  20,  1865.  Still  reading  the  Life  and  Lettors  of  F.  W.  Rob- 
ertson. No  better  pleased.  An  analysis  of  his  mental  history  would 
be  instructive.  All  his  aberrations  may  be  traced  back  to  a  defective 
heart  experience  at  the  time  he  entered  the  ministry.  His  theories  of 
religion  were  a  mixture  of  the  worst  vagaries  of  Maurice,  Kingslty, 
Theodore  Parker,  French  Socialists,  German  Neologists,  &c.,  &c. 

Of  two  other  books  which  he  had  been  reading  he  takes 
note.  The  one,  Bowles's  Across  the  Continent,  made  a  deep 
impression  on  his  mind,  as  presenting  a  picture  of  the  vast  ex- 
tent and  unlimited  resources  of  our  country.  "  What,"  he  is 
led  to  inquire,  "  will  it  be  a  half  century  hence?  O  that  our 
churches,  our  ministry  even,  were  more  fully  awake  to  the 
work  before  them !  How  weighty  the  responsibilities  that 
press  upon  this  generation  of  Christians  ! "     The  other  book 


YIEWS    ON   EVANGELISM.  311 

was  Victor  Hugo's  Les  Miserables.  "  Disgusted  with  botli  its 
pliilosopliy  and  its  morality,"  he  remarks,  "  I  have  thrown  it 
aside.  Satan  has  no  more  corrupting  agency  than  such  a 
writer.  But  as  my  heart  is,  I  bless  God  it  loathes  such  litt-r- 
ature.  O,  Avhat  an  account  will  French  novelists  have  to 
render  !  " 

We  introduce  at  this  point  two  extracts,  in  Avhich  may  be 
traced  his  opinion  of  the  system  of  "  Evangelism."  It  will 
be  seen  that  while  he  alludes  in  kind,  even  commendatory, 
terms  to  one  who  has  for  several  years  been  regarded  as  one 
of  the  best  exponents  of  the  system,  he  speaks  cautiously,  and 
as  the  result  of  his  own  experience  of  the  system  itself. 

April  10,  1866.  At  eleven  A.  M.  went  to  Park  Street  Church,  and 
heard  a  discourse  from  Rev.  A.  B.  Earle,  the  revivalist,  who  is  now 
laboring  at  Chelsea.  The  house  was  full,  and  the  preacher  had  good 
attention.  His  text  was  Ps.  li.  12 —  "  Restore  unto  me  the  joy  of  thy 
salvation."  He  said  many  good  things  in  a  very  tender  manner.  Noth- 
ing eccentric,  nothing  vulgar.     I  think  a  good  impression  was  made. 

April  27.  In  several  of  our  city  churches  there  is  considerable  reli- 
gious interest,  but  all  under  the  high-pressure  system  of  revival  agen- 
cies. I  caimot  introduce  such  expedients.  They  are  dangerous,  I 
know.  I  am  endeavoring  to  do  my  duty  to  my  people,  and  must  leave 
with  God  the  results.  I  may  temporarily  be  blamed  for  not  cooperating 
with  my  brethren;  but  one  year  hence  what  will  be  their  judgment  re- 
specting these  measures?  My  heart  aches  for  the  unconverted  of  my 
flock,  but  my  responsibility  has  limitations,  and  if  they  perish  it  will 
not  be  because  I  have  failed  to  tell  them  the  whole  truth. 

The  question  of  personal  duty  in  his  relations  to  his  church 
grew  only  more  perplexing  as  the  weeks  passed  by.  He 
hoped  to  get  some  light  on  the  subject  by  consultation  with 
leading  brethren  in  the  church ;  but  he  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  he  must  decide  the  itiatter  for  himself.  To  add  to  the 
weight  of  the  burden  he  was  bearing,  death  was  constantly 
making  sad  havoc  in  the  circle  of  his  friends.  Under  date  of 
September  15  of  this  year,  1866,  he  alludes  to  the  removal  of 
his  "excellent  physician,"  Dr.  Augustus  A.  Gould,  who,  for 
thirty-three  years,  had  been  his  family  physician.  The  blow 
was  a  heavy  one,  and  nearly  unmanned  him.     A  few  days  af- 


ol2  MEMOIK    OF   DR.    STOW. 

ter,  lie  records  the  death  of  another  life-long  friend,  Williara 
Crane,  of  Baltimore.  Not  long  after,  another  friend.  Rev.  W. 
Jenks,  D.  D.,  is  called  to  his  reward,  and  again  he  feels  hke 
one  pei"sonally  bereaved. 

In  touching  words  he  closes  the  record  of  the  year. 

December  31.  Anniversary  of  my  baptism,  forty-eight  years  ago. 
How  fresh  in  my  recollection  are  the  incidents  of  that  memorable  day  — 
of  the  grave  cut  through  the  ice,  of  the  administrator  (dear  Brother 
Leland  Howard),  of  the  candidates  (eleven  in  number),  of  the  specta- 
tors, of  the  day,  much  like  this,  bleakly  cold,  &c.,  &c. !  I  am  now  far 
along  in  life  ;  but  0,  how  little  has  been  my  spiritual  progress  !  Gladly 
would  I  set  apart  this  day  to  a  review  of  my  Christian  course,  to  fasting 
and  to  prayer;  but  I  have  work,  work,  and  "  must  be  about  my  Father's 
business." 

God,  in  great  mercy  forgive  my  sins  of  this  year;  accept  my  thanka 
for  the  favors  of  the  year ;  bless  my  labors  for  the  year. 

Farewell.  1866. 


ANTI-SLAVEllY    rOSITIOX    QUKSTIONED.  313 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

Called  to  an  Account.  —  Correspondence.  —  Resignation  op  the 
Pastorate  of  Rowe  Street  Church.  —  Call  to  Alton,  Illi- 
nois.—  Letter  of  Advice  from  Ministering  Brethren.  —  De- 
cision to  remain  in  Boston.  —  Correspondence. 

While  in  England,  in  the  summer  of  1859,  Dr.  Stow  had 
been  called  to  an  account  by  some  of  his  Baptist  brethren, 
because  he  had  failed,  in  their  opinion,  to  come  up  to  their 
standard  as  "  Abolitionists."'  They  accused  him  of  lukewarm- 
ness,  of  a  backwardness  to  take  a  position  of  open,  avowed 
liostility  to  the  system  of  American  slavery.  To  those  who 
had  known  Dr.  Stow's  views  on  this  subject,  this  charge  was 
simply  ridiculous.  These  brethren  went  so  far  as  to  send  a 
written  communication  to  him,  calling  upon  liim  to  explain, 
and  if  possible  vindicate,  his  conduct.  As  he  did  not  recog- 
nize the  authority  of  this  self-constituted  jury,  who  were  thus 
sitting  in  judgment  on  him,  he  would  not  condescend  to  take 
any  notice  of  their  dogmatic  communication.  The  corre- 
siiondence  which  grew  out  of  this  affair  is  worthy  of  perusal. 
Tiie  letter  sent  to  Dr.  Stow  from  England  is  too  long  to 
transfer  to  our  pages,  but  the  principal  points  in  it  will  be 
brought  out  in  the  correspondence  referred  to. 

Providence,  March  19,  ISCO. 

My  dear  Brother  :  T  think  tlie  communication  a  very  cxtraortlinaiy 
one.  You  cannot  satisfy  such  men,  and  yet  maintain  a  proper  self- 
rospect.  They  interfere  with  your  (Miristian  Hbcrty,  and  take  ground 
that  is  higlily  offensive. 

I  would  eitlicr  make  no  reply,  or  I  would  reaffirm  what  you  said,  and 
express  a  regret  that  your  Christian  integrity  is  publicly  questioned  by 


314  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

brethren.     A  gentle  remonstrance  niiglit  be  added  against  such  a  mode 
of  trial. 

If  it  is  probable  that  they  will  mangle  and  maul  you  again,  I  would 
not  give  them  another  chance  to  "  disapprove  of  Dr.  Stow  representing 
himself"  —  falsely  —  in  plain  English. 

I  would  write  more,  but  I  begin  to  grow  indignant,  and  am  really 
afraid  I  shall  get  angry.  You  cannot  answer  the  communication  as  it 
deserves.  Tiiey  have  taken  great  pains  to  spread  a  net  for  you.  If  you 
show  nmch  feeling,  they  will  tiunk  they  have  the  bull  in  their  meshes. 
I  should  like  to  know  how  Martin  Luther,  my  old  friend,  would  treat 
such  a  communication.  He  jirobably  would  say  some  very  injudicious 
things.  In  fine,  I  would  take  my  leave  of  the  good  bretliren  in  tlie 
briefest  way  possible,  and  hope  to  meet  them  in  heaven  without  these 
conditions  of  fellowship. 

I  know  j-ou  are  anti-slavery,  and  always  have  been,  in  your  senti- 
ments since  my  first  acquaintance  with  you.  I  tliink  we  shall  both  con- 
tinue to  be  so  in  spite  of  provocations  such  as  these  to  a  contrary 
course. 

Now  I  have  got  cool  again,  I  will  say  I  tliink  the  action  of  our  dear 
brethren  on  the  other  side  of  the  water,  supercilious  and  insolent.  They 
even  limit  the  time  of  your  reply,  making  no  provision  either  for  sick- 
ness or  death.  The  secretary  delays  writing  a  whole  month,  and  tlien 
holds  the  ban  over  you  if  you  are  not  more  prompt  than  he  has  been. 
But  I  am  getting  warm  again,  and  so  will  stop.  My  final  opinion  is, 
that  the  liord  only  can  manage  such  Christians.  You  may  sliow  this 
letter  to  anybody,  if  you  have  occasion.  It  will  prove  that  I  try  to  gov- 
ern myself. 

Yours,  not  in  bonds, 

B.  Sears. 

Boston,  U.  S.,  March  23,  ISGO. 

My  dear  Brother  :  Soon  after  my  return  from  Europe  last  autumn, 
I  learned  indirectly  that  brethren  in  England  were  discussing  certain 
questions  pertaining  to  myself.  No  part  of  that  discussion  have  I 
seen,  and  I  have  felt,  respecting  it,  no  solicitude. 

A  few  days  since  I  received  a  letter  from  the  secretary  of  the 
Board  of  Baptist  Ministers  in  and  near  London,  communicating,  as 
instructed,  a  copy  of  a  report  of  a  committee  of  said  Board  adopted 
in  January  last.  From  two  documents,  bearing  the  signatures  of  men 
whom  I  do  not  know,  it  appears  that  I  have  been  made  the  subject 
of  elaborate  inquisitorial  proceedings.  Of  the  contents  of  these  pa- 
pers, unless  I  copy  them  entire,  I  can  give  you  no  adequate  concep- 
tion.    Should  you  see  them,  as   I   hope   you   may,  I    think   you  will 


CORRESPONDEXCE.  315 

concur  with  mo,  that  self-respect  forbids  all  reply.  In  form  and  spirit 
they  are  both  decidedly  offensive ;  for,  as  I  interpret  them,  they  im- 
plicate my  veracity,  judge  my  motives,  and  interfere  with  my  Chris- 
tian Kberty.  To  men  who  thus  approach  mo  I  cannot  sacrifice  my 
manhood,  either  by  recognizing  their  jurisdiction  or  by  conceding  to 
any  of  tlieir  assumptions.  Tlicy  offer  me  an  opportunity,  within  a 
limited  time,  to  make  explanations;  but  they  do  tiiis  in  a  style  and 
tone  which  but  too  plainly  involve  a  menace.  AViiat  they  intend  to 
do,  provided  I  remain  silent,  they  do  not  intimate,  and  I  am  not 
anxious  to  know.  What  little  reputation  I  have  is  in  the  custody  of 
Ilim  whose  I  am  and  whom  I  serve.  My  prayer  is,  that  both  they 
and  myself  may  have  more  of  the  spirit  of  Christ,  and  that,  through 
tiie  riches  of  his  grace,  we  may  all  meet  in  heaven. 
In  the  Crucified  One, 

I  am,  dear  brother, 

Most  affectionately,  &c.. 

Baron  Stow. 
Rev.  S.  Manning,  Fronie,  Somersetshire,  England. 

To  Rev.  S.  Manning. 

Boston,  U.  S.  A.,  July  IG,  ISGO. 

When  I  wrote  you,  March  23,  I  did  not  intend  to  subject  you  to 
the  trouble  of  even  acknowledging  tlie  receipt  of  my  letter.  My  ob- 
ject was  to  place  in  the  hands  of  one  whom  I  was  quite  sure  I 
might  trust,  a  definitive  expression  of  the  light  in  whicii  I  regarded 
the  communications  forwarded  to  me  by  Mr.  Barker,  secretary.  I 
have,  therefore,  to  thank  you  most  cordially  for  your  fraternal  kind- 
ness, as  manifested  in  your  two  letters,  one  of  May  2-1,  the  other  of 
June  22,  covering  certain  communications  from  London. 

After  mature  deliberation,  I  see  no  reason  for  changing  my  original 
purpose.  The  disclaimer  of  the  board,  in  regard  to  the  "  premature 
publication  "  of  the  report,  does  not  alter  the  case.  Dishonorable  as 
was  that  act.  by  whomsoever  perpetrated,  it  constituted  no  part  of 
the  offence  which  determined  my  course.  My  diflSculty  was  with  the 
assumption  of  a  jurisdiction  which  I  cannot  recognize,  and  with  the 
tone  of  botii  the  report  and  the  accompanying  letter.  Till  those  doc- 
uments are  withdrawn,  and  I  am  addressed,  not  as  a  culprit  indicted 
by  a  Star  Chamber  process,  but  as  a  brother  in  Christ,  my  self- 
respect  must  forbid  all  response  to  their   demand. 

Consequently  I  cannot  accede  to  the  wish  of  your  friend  in  Lon- 
don, that  I  might  furnish  him  with  the  means  by  which  he  could 
vindicate  me.  I  appreciate  his  kindness ;  but  how  can  I,  without  self- 
degradation,  do   indirectly  what   my   manhood  will    not  allow   me  di« 


316  MEMOIR    OF   DE,    STOW. 

roctly  to  attempt?  His  intimation  that,  if  I  fail  to  supply  some  sort 
of  vindication,  tliere  may  be  a  vote  not  to  "fraternize"  with  mc,  docs 
not  frighten  me.  Such  action  may  be  a  greater  calamity  than  I  now 
foresee,  but  I  must  wait  for  it,  and  abide  the  issue. 

The  interpretation  whicli  Mr.  Barker  is  represented  as  putting  upon 
my  letter  to  you,  is  unjust.  I  am  not  in  the  habit  of  sneering  at  ray 
Christian  brethren,  however  ungenerously  they  may  treat  nie,  and,  by 
referring  to  my  copy  of  that  letter  I  find  nothing  which  can  be  honestly 
construed  as  disrespectful  to  the  body  which  had  assumed  cognizance 
of  my  case.  I  did  not  know  of  whom  that  board  was  composed;  I  do 
not  now  know.  They  may  all  be  far  better  men  than  I  am,  but  their 
action  in  my  case,  as  expressed  by  their  communications,  is  objectiona- 
ble and  offensive.  Till  approached  in  a  different  manner,  I  must  be 
silent,  and  pray  for  grace  to  resemble  Him  who,  for  my  sake,  "  made 
himself  of  no  reputation." 

The  foregoing  correspondence  shows  us  a  side  of  Dr.  Stow's 
chariicter  which  is  not  often  revealed.  Ordinarily  he  was 
the  most  pliant  of  men,  ready  to  yield  his  own  wishes,  and 
not  insisting  upon  his  own  rights.  But  if  there  was  an  ap- 
pearance of  lording  it  over  him,  if  his  purest  motives  were 
called  in  question,  he  not  only  keenly  felt  the  insult,  but  he 
knew  how,  in  a  firm  but  Cliristian  way,  to  repel  it.  The  men 
who  had  ventured  to  arraign  him  at  their  bar  may  have  sup- 
posed that  they  had  a  timid,  irresolute  spirit  to  deal  with;  but 
tliey  found  that  he  was  not  to  be  treated  in  this  manner 
Avithout  calling  in  question  their  authority,  and  declining,  with 
dignity,  to  answer  their  impertinent  questions.  As  the  action 
of  this  self-constituted  body  of  inquisitors  was  repudiated  by 
a  majority  of  the  intelligent  ministers  of  the  denomination  in 
England,  Dr.  Stow  very  soon  dismissed  from  his  mind  all 
thought  of  it. 

We  draw  sparingly  from  the  correspondence  between  the 
years  1860  and  1866. 

To  the  daughter  of  Professor  Knowles. 

Boston,  July  18,  1860. 
During  my  absence  last  week  in  Vermont,  I  read,  in  a  newspaper,  an 
announcement  of  the  departure  of  your  dear  mother.     Pardon  me  if  I 


CORRESPONDENCE.  317 

express  a  wish  to  learn  i)articulars.  I  had  not  heard  of  her  iUncss. 
The  intelligence  stirred  memories  of  the  past  which  I  tenderly  cherisli. 
I  first  saw  3'our  mother  in  1825,  a  few  months  before  she  was  married. 
From  that  time  onward  I  esteemed  her  both  for  her  own  sake  and  for 
the  sake  of  tlie  dear  one  whom  none  but  herself  and  children  loved 
more  than  I  did.  Witli  such  as  she  and  your  lamented  father  I  shall 
be  glad  to  spend  eternity. 


From  E.  B.  Underhill. 

London,  April  20,  18G1. 

We  arc  Matching  with  deep  interest  the  progress  of  affairs 
in  the  States.  The  hist  two  days  have  filled  us  with  dread 
that  civil  war  is  about  to  break  out.  This  is  deeply  to  be 
regretted.  It  may  be  grievous  to  lose  the  south,  but  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  good  government  and  humanity  will  be 
served  by  the  separation.  It  seems  to  rae  that  these  events 
must  lead  to  a  modification  of  your  constitution,  by  which  the 
executive  shall  be  rendered  more  able  to  administer  the  laws 
and  enforce  their  observance.  Nothing  is  so  striking  to  us  as 
the  absence  of  strength  in  your  executive  to  constrain  atten- 
tion to  the  laws,  to  overrule  mobs,  and  prevent  anarchy.  The 
central  power  will  have  to  be  made  much  more  powerful, 
either  by  a  larger  standing  army,  or  by  greater  command  of 
the  police  and  administrative  authorities.  Of  course  you  may 
have  an  executive  too  powerful,  but  in  a  constitutional  govern- 
ment this  can  be  guarded  against. 

To  Deacon  H.  Lincoln. 

Boston,  July  20,  1861. 

You  write  somewhat  on  the  "  fiilling  inflection,"  as  I  be 
lieve  you  generally  do  the  first  week  of  your  sojourn  at  Sara 
toga  Springs.  By  this  time,  I  take  it,  you  have  washed  down 
the  blueness  of  your  spirits,  and  commenced  the  ascending 
scale.  As  many  as  thirty  times  has  the  "  old  Congress  "  ex- 
orcised from  your  physical  system  the  unclean  spirit  that 
caused  depression,  and  you  have  returned  "  as  good  as  new," 
ready  for  an  eloquent  a])peal  in  behalf  of  the  Massachusetts 


318  MEMOIR   OF    DR.    STOAV. 

Baptist  Charitable  Society,  at  tlie  Boston  Association.  I  am 
looking  for  a  like  result  this  year.  You  are  only  in  your 
eighty-third  year.  At  the  commencement  dinner,  on  Wednes- 
day, Josiah  Quincy,  Senior,  made  a  speech  showing  how  little 
his  natural  force  was  abated,  though  he  is  almost  ninety. 
Deacon  Lincoln  is  good  yet  for  active  service. 

To  his  Avife. 

Boston,  Harrison  Avenue,  September  7,  1861. 

One  of  my  first  thoughts,  after  waking  this  morning,  was 
of  a  delightful  event  in  our  history  —  an  event  of  which  every 
7th  of  September  reminds  me ;  and  as  I  bowed  in  thanksgiv- 
ing to  God  for  his  many  mercies,  I  poured  out  my  heart  in 
praise  for  his  gift  of  such  a  Avife.  I  have  to-day  recalled 
the  history  —  my  own  and  yours  —  of  all  these  years,  and  I 
could  see  a  hundred  reasons  why  I  should  be  grateful.  God 
forgive  me  if  I  fail  here,  as  I  fail  in  almost  every  duty. 

You,  my  precious  one,  have  been  to  me  invariably  true  and 
faithful.  I  cannot  remember  the  first  delinquency  in  the 
fulfilment  of  your  marriage  vows.  You  have  patiently  borne 
with  my  infirmities,  and  spread  the  mantle  of  love  over  my 
imperfections.  You  have  been  my  solace  in  times  of  nervous 
suffering,  and  my  helper  in  the  trials  and  responsibilities  of  a 
laborious  life.  You  have  tenderly  endeavored  to  correct 
whatever  in  me  was  perverse.  You  have  genially  fostered 
whatever  in  me  was  right.  For  all  the  attainments  I  have 
made  in  moral  culture,  I  am  indebted  to  your  quiet  mode  of 
dealing  with  my  susceptible  and  hasty  temperament.  When 
we  were  united  in  bonds  never  to  be  severed,  you  little  knew 
your  mission.  God  then  provided  for  me  just  the  one  whom 
he  saw  I  needed  to  promote  both  my  happiness  and  useful- 
ness. Blessed  be  his  name  forever  and  ever  for  such  a  heljv 
meet  —  the  greatest  favor  next  to  the  forgiveness  of  my  sins 
which  he  could  bestow.  Again  and  again  I  boAV  before  him 
in  adoring  gratitude. 

Accei)t  this,  dear  E.,  as  a  tribute,  not  prompted  by  any 
flpasmodic  affection,  but  revealing  the  uniform  conviction  ot 


LETTER    OF    CONDOLENCE.  319 

wliat  is  due  from  one  who  knows  and  appreciates  your  worth. 
May  God  fill  you  with  liis  love,  and  keep  you  sate  unto  life 
everlasting.  Not  many  years  hence,  we  shall,  through  rich 
grace,  be  in  a  better  home,  "  clothed  upon  with  our  house, 
which  is  from  heaven,"  "  ever  with  the  Lord,"  and  ever  to- 
gether. 

To  Rev.  Dr.  Stockbridge. 

Boston,  February  8,  18G2. 

I  rejoice  to  hear  so  encouraging  an  account  of  the  state  of 
afiairs  in  dear  old  Baldwin  Place.  And  I  rejoice  for  the  sake 
of  that  precious  people,  and  for  Christ's  sake,  that  you  are 
there.  May  God  bless  you  there,  giving  you  many  souls. 
Assure  the  dear  brethren  of  ray  tender  interest  in  their  pros- 
perity, and  my  earnest  prayers  that  they  may  be  favored 
largely  with  the  divine  influence.  The  first  moment  I  find  my- 
self able,  I  shall  certainly  be  with  them  and  you,  speaking 
words  of  encouragement,  and  joining  my  supplications  with 
yours  and  theirs.  You  have  there  sure  proof  of  what  I 
knew  years  ago  —  that  Baldwin  Place  Christians  know  how 
to  pray. 

To  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Shurtleff. 

Shakox  Springs,  N.  Y.,  August  14,  1862. 

My  dear  Friends  :  I  have  just  read  in  the  Boston  Post 
a  notice  of  the  heavy  calamity  that  has  come  upon  you  ;  and 
though  ray  absence  is  not  for  pleasure,  yet  I  almost  reproach 
myself  that  I  am  so  far  away  as  to  render  personal  attentions 
im])ossible.  My  heart  is  Avith  you  in  this  hour  of  your  bit- 
terest afiiiction,  and  I  adopt  the  only  means  at  command  to 
assure  you  of  Mrs.  S tow's  and  my  own  sympathy.  Gladly 
would  we  be  by  your  side,  showing  that  friendship  is  more 
than  a  name  —  that  Christian  sympathy  is  a  reality.  We 
liave  felt  for  you  in  previous  bereavements,  when  you  yielded 
uj^,  at  your  Father's  call,  jDrecious  little  ones  —  lovely  plants 
of  i)i-omise,  early  transplanted  to  the  Gardens  of  the  Blest, 
where,  under  the  most  faithful  culture,  they  are  developing 


320  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

from  glory  to  glory.  Not  less,  but  more,  do  we  now  feel  fot 
you  as  you  mourn  for  your  first-born.  You  have  suffered  on 
his  account  —  not,  thank  God,  because  of  any  departure  from 
morality,  but  because  of  his  ado2)tion  of  a  religious  theory 
differing  from  your  own.  Now  you  forget  all  those  anxieties 
and  regrets,  and  remember  only  what  you  approA'ed.  Na- 
thaniel was  unquestionably  sincere ;  he  followed  his  own 
deeply  wrought  convictions ;  lie  was  honest  before  God.  I 
have  often  thought  of  him  as  having,  very  possibly,  been 
saved  from  scepticism  by  the  power  of  a  faith  that  carried 
him  farther  than  you  and  I  can  go.  It  is  better  to  believe 
too  much  than  too  little.  His  belief  included  the  essential 
elements  of  Christianity.  The  excess  of  his  faith  pertained 
to  things  outward  in  religion,  and  could  not  neutralize  the 
saving  efficiency  of  those  truths  wliich  relate  to  the  inward 
life.  You  may,  upon  a  review  of  the  whole  case,  see  that  his 
becoming  a  Catholic  was  beneficently  ordered  by  Him  who 
sees  the  end  from  the  beginning,  and  you  will  say  through 
your  tears,  "  He  hath  done  all  things  Avell." 

Great,  indeed,  is  the  sacrifice  you  have  made  for  your 
country's  good.  You  laid  that  dear  son  on  the  altar,  know- 
ing the  possibility  of  what  has  actually  occurred.  God  has 
accepted  the  offering,  and  he  will  support  and  comfort  you 
under  the  bereavement.  To  his  paternal  mercy  I  commend 
you.  My  prayer  is  for  your  solace  —  that  solace  which  is 
always  the  result  of  quiet,  unmurmuring  submission. 

To  Rev.  I.  Pearson. 

Boston,  July  3,  18G3. 

I  see  by  the  newspapers  that  you  and  yours  are  in  affliction ; 
and,  though  you  do  not  lack  for  friends,  yet  I  am  sure  you  will 
let  me  say  that  my  heart  turns  towards  you  in  tender  sym- 
pathy. 

I  remember  Abb}'^  Iving  as  a  little  child,  but  for  many 
years  have  not  seen  hei\  Still  I  have  ever  felt  an  interest 
in  her  for  her  parents'  sake,  and  have  ever  received  a  good 
account  of  her  as  an  honor  to  her  parentage.     I  know  not  if 


INTEREST    IX    "CHRISTIAN    BROTHERHOOD."  3*J1 

my  precious  brotlier,  Alonzo  King,  has  a  cliild  left  on  earth. 
lie  certainly  has  children  in  heaven.     Happy,  hai)i)y  reunion! 

How,  within  our  remembrance,  those  two  families,  the 
Kings  and  the  Cheneys,  have  melted  away !  I  love  to  recall 
the  memory  of  what  they  were,  and  still  more  to  think  what 
so  many  of  them  now  are.  Blessed  be  the  "  God  of  grace  " 
for  the  prospect  of  meeting  such  numbers  of  the  friends  of 
my  youth  in  the  better  land  ! 

As  I  advance  in  years,  I  turn  with  warmer  and  warmer  in- 
terest to  those  whom  1  knew  and  esteemed  in  early  life.  As 
I  hear  of  their  sorrows,  I  feel  an  m-esistible  desire  to  lay  my 
heart  close  to  theirs,  and  let  them  feel  its  throbbings  of  Chris- 
tian sympathy.  I  am  in  the  last  of  the  seven  decades  of 
years  allotted  to  man,  and  it  is  becoming  more  and  more  a 
part  of  my  mission  to  write  fraternally  to  those  whom  I  can- 
not see  and  address. 

To  Rev.  N.  M.  Williams. 

Boston,  November  28,  1863. 

Many  thanks  for  yonr  kind  letter  of  the  15th.  I  have  many 
such  from  individuals,  some  entire  strangers,  but  no  one  has 
given  me  such  special  pleasure  as  yours. 

"  Christian  Brotherhood  "  Avas  the  product  of  a  heart  that 
has  long  felt  deeply  on  the  subject.  The  Baptist  religious 
papers  were  "  afraid  of  its  tendencies  to  laxity  of  Baptist 
principles,"  and  treated  it,  not  unkindly,  but  coolly.  Only 
one  edition  was  sold,  and,  unless  there  should  be  an  increased 
demand,  I  doubt  if  the  publishers  would  venture  another.  I 
am  not  annoyed  or  mortified,  personally,  by  the  fate  of  the 
book.  I  did  not  write  it  for  fame  or  money,  and,  having 
gahied  neither,  I  am  not  disappointed.  I  felt  impelled  to 
give  my  testimony,  and  leave  it  in  the  hands  of  Him  whom  I 
wished  to  honor.  Consequently  I  have  not  for  a  moment  been 
disquieted  by  its  limited  circulation,  or  by  any  criticisms. 
All,  so  far  as  I  know,  admitted  that  the  work  was  written  in 
a  kind.  Christian  spirit.  I  wish  I  could  see  a  better  spirit  in 
21 


S'l'l  MEMOIR   OP    DR.    STOW. 

our  Baptist  brethren  towards  evangelical  Christians  wlao  dif 
fer  from  them. 

That  you  are  interested  in  my  views  gives  me  much  satis- 
faction. I  am  the  happier  for  entertaining  them,  and  for 
liaving  jDublished  them,  and  I  am  sure  the  day  will  come  when 
those  views  will  receive  favor  now  denied  them.  The  spirit 
of  sect  is  not  the  spirit  of  Christ.  It  is  the  disfigurement 
of  our  Christianity,  and  must  be  renounced  before  we  shall 
make  any  large  inroads  upon  the  territories  of  error  and  sin. 

Let  us,  my  brother,  be  true  to  all  our  principles.  If  others 
welcome  not  our  fidelities,  let  us  endeavor  to  be  ourselves 
right  by  subordinating  our  denominationalism  to  our  Chris- 
tianity.    "  Charity  never  faileth." 

To  J.  W.  Manning,  Esq. 

Boston,  June  12,   1864. 

I  thank  you  for  the  paper  containing  a  notice  of  the  death 
of  our  dear  friend  Dr.  B.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  frequent 
interviews  I  had  Avith  him  in  the  spi'ing  of  1858.  He  came 
to  me  as  a  stranger,  with  his  mind  evidently  disturbed  by  the 
Holy  Spirit's  influences,  yet  clinging  to  his  Unitarian  notions 
of  God,  and  sin,  and  salvation.  I  could  not  conceive  of  a 
pagan  mind  more  dark  in  regard  to  evangelical  doctrines : 
but  happily  he  was  docile  and  anxious  to  know  the  truth, 
I  liad  to  begin  with  a  statement  of  the  first  principles  of 
Christianity,  and  lead  him  on,  as  a  little  child,  through  the 
simplest  rudiments  of  religious  truth.  Most  delightfully  I 
was  rewarded  by  the  readiness  with  which  he  embraced 
that  truth  at  every  step  of  the  explanation.  I  soon  became 
convinced  that  liis  heart  had  been  renewed  even  before  he 
called  upon  me,  and  that  all  he  needed  was  instruction. 
Never  had  I  seen  a  more  flexible  mind,  or  one  more  disposed 
to  accept  the  gospel.  His  "  natural  religion  "  melted  away 
before  the  cross  like  snow  in  summer,  and  the  moment  he 
saw  what  the  Saviour  had  done  for  him,  he  welcomed  the 
knowledge  with  an  intelligent  joy  that  I  have  seldom  seen 
equalled.     His  views  of  God's  holiness,  and  of  the  great  evil 


CORRESPONDENCE.  323 

of  sin,  were  remarkably  clear,  and  his  surrender  to  Christ  was 
complete.  The  cast  of  his  mind,  both  naturally  and  by  edu- 
cation, was  eminently  scientific,  and  I  feared,  at  first,  that  he 
would  require  demonstration  at  ever}'  point,  and  insist  on 
knoxoing  rather  than  believing.  But  in  that  respect  I  was 
disapi)ointed.  He  showed  no  repugnance  to  any  truth  of  the 
Bible,  and  was  willing  to  believe  whatever  God  has  said,  be- 
cause of  his  confidence  in  the  divine  veracity.  I  saw  him 
often  for  several  weeks,  and  was  inexpressibly  gratified  by 
liis  i^rogress  in  a  knowledge  of  the  plan  of  salvation.  His 
emergence  from  darkness  into  light  was  slow,  but  he  came 
out  with  no  remnant  of  Unitarianism  clinging  to  him.  He 
was  an  evangelical  believer  every  step  of  the  Avay,  and  expe- 
rienced richly  all  that  is  denoted  by  the  expression,  "  peace 
in  believing."  Hence  I  have  never  feared  his  relapse  into 
any  of  his  former  errors.  His  theology  was  experimental ; 
his  faith  stood  "  not  in  the  wisdom  of  men,  but  in  the  power 
of  God."  He  could  give  a  reason  for  the  hope  that  was  in 
him.     He  had  a  new  heart,  and  his  religion  was  a  life. 

Not  often  have  I  seen  him  since,  but  every  interview  has 
confirmed  my  first  impression — that  his  conversion  was 
thorough.     That  he  is  now  with  Christ  I  do  not  doubt. 


To  Rev.  Dr.  Dean,  Bangkok,  Siam. 

Boston,  July  14,  18G6. 
.  .  .  There  is  war  in  continental  Europe,  and  we  are 
looking  for  changes  there  that  Avill  be  fovorable  to  human 
freedom.  These  old  desjjotisms  must  pass  away,  and  the 
crushed  millions  must  arise  from  their  depression.  Koman- 
isni  is  still  the  curse  of  Europe,  but  its  poAver  is  waning. 
Should  Italy  become  a  unity  under  Victor  Emanuel,  I  would 
not  give  much  for  the  poor  old  pope  and  his  college  of  cardi- 
nals. Not  more  certain  is  it  that  paganism  must  fall,  than 
it  is  that  the  Romish  Antichrist  must  perish.  Paganism  and 
Romanism  are  both  of  the  devil,  and  Christ  will  destroy  them. 
You  and  I  shall  not  here  witness  the  consummation,  but  from 


324  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

the  heights  of  tlie  heavenly  Zion  we  shall  see  Christ  tiium 
phant,  and  exult  over  the  glorious  issue. 

Some  of  the  correspondents  of  Dr,  Stow  may  be  disaj)- 
pointed  as  they  turn  to  the  pages  of  this  volume,  and  do  not 
find  precious  letters  Avritten  by  him  to  them.  Writing  to  a 
dear  i-elative,  under  date  of  September  25,  1865,  he  says,  "I 
write  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  letters  jjcr  week,  and  yet  a 
huge  pile  of  unanswered  letters  is  constantly  before  me,  occa- 
sioning many  a  heartache  that  I  cannot  ])romptly  reciprocate 
the  kind  remembrances  of  my  friends."  From  this  accumu- 
lated mass  of  correspondence,  Ave  must  choose  as  best  we  may, 
Avishing,  above  all  things,  to  bring  out  in  sharp  relief  such  pe- 
culiarities of  mind  and  heart  as  may  convey  to  our  readers 
the  best  portraiture  we  can  give  of  the  character  of  Dr.  Stow. 

Early  in  the  year  1867,  Dr.  Stow  was  called  to  mourn  the 
removal  by  death  of  several  long-tried  friends,  among  whom 
were  the  wife  of  Deacon  Heman  Lincoln,  and  the  venerable 
Mrs.  Mears,  both  of  them  women  of  great  personal  Avorth,  and 
both  deeply  interested  in  everything  connected  Avith  the  pros- 
perity of  Rowe  Street  Church.  These  bloAvs  fell  heavily  on  the 
sensitive  heart  of  their  beloved  pastor.  In  addition  to  these 
fresh  burdens  laid  upon  his  spirit,  there  was  the  one  he  Avas  ever 
bearing,  involved  in  the  question  of  duty  as  to  the  pastorate  of 
the  church,  OA'er  Avhose  fortunes  he  had  so  long  presided.  He 
felt  certain  that  to  remain  much  longei'  in  the  locality  Avhich 
they  were  then  occupying  Avould  be  fiital  to  their  interests, 
probably  to  their  very  existence.  While  he  Avas  Avilling,  to 
the  utmost  of  his  ability,  to  cooperate  Avith  them  in  the  adop- 
tion and  carrying  out  of  any  plan  which  Avould  open  to  them 
a  new  path  of  prosperity,  he  saw,  or  thought  he  saAV,  a  lack 
of  enterprise  and  an  iiuAvillingness  to  embark  in  any  new 
schemes,  which,  Avith  the  blessing  of  God,  might  result  in  their 
enlargement  and  increased  efficiency.  This  Avant  of  hearty 
zeal  oppressed  his  spirits.  He  laid  open  his  heart  to  his  breth- 
ren. Several  meetings  for  consultation  Avere  held,  and  the 
result  of  all  their  deliberations  was,  that  he  felt  constrained 


ItESIGNS    THE    PASTORATE    OF    ROWE    STREET    CHURCH.    325 

to  send  in  his  rcsign;itioii  of  liis  pastoral  cliargc.  There  wei'e 
some  tilings  connected  with  his  resignation  which  deeply 
pained  him,  over  wliich  we  draw  the  veil.  As  similar  e\'j)e- 
riences  fall  to  the  lot  of  almost  all  ministers  placed  in  similar 
ciriaimstances,  we  have  no  desire  to  give  prominence  to  these 
trials,  as  if  none  like  them  have  ever  been  borne  by  the  ser- 
vants of  Christ.  He  closed  his  letter  of  resignation  with  the 
assnrance  of  his  affection  for  the  church,  and  of  the  joy  he 
should  ever  feel  in  their  prosperity,  and  expressed  himself 
ready  to  render  to  it  any  service  that  might  contribute  to  its 
advancement. 

Once  more  free,  bound  by  no  ministerial  ties  to  any  church, 
he  had  an  opportunity  to  enjoy  a  few  weeks  of  respite  from 
professional  toil.  Two  or  three  months  elapse,  and  calls  to 
different  posts  of  labor  begin  to  pour  in  upon  him.  First 
there  comes  an  invitation  to  become  pastor  of  the  church  in 
Upper  Alton,  111.,  coupled  with  the  assurance  that  he  will  be 
invited  to  the  chair  of  a  professor  in  the  theological  depart- 
ment of  Shurtleff'  College.  Then  he  is  approached  with  offers 
of  a  professorship  in  still  another  institution,  and  the  presi- 
dency of  a  seminary  at  Washington,  D.  C,  for  the  education 
of  colored  preachers.  The  most  urgent  claim  was  from  Uj^per- 
Alton,  and  it  was  pressed  w'ith  great  importunity.  The 
following  extracts  Avill  show  the  interest  which  was  taken  by 
his  friends  in  the  decision  to  which,  after  prayerful  considera- 
tion, he  might  be  brought.  The  first  was  written  by  Dr. 
Bright,  and  appeared  in  the  Examiner,  of  New  York,  Sej^tem- 
ber^26,  1867. 

"  Dr.  Stow's  pastoral  services  in  Boston,  both  at  Baldwin 
Place  and  at  Rowe  Street,  have  been  of  such  a  degree  of 
excellence,  that  after-times,  when  in  search  of  models  for  the 
illustration  of  pastoral  work,  will  turn  to  these  services  and 
tind  them.  He  has  merited,  and  he  has  had,  the  unqualified  re- 
spect and  reverence  of  the  city  in  which  he  has  dwelt.  And 
it  beconies  us  to  say,  as  of  personal  knowledge,  that  in  the 
imi)ortant  missionary  counsels  of  his  denomination  no  man 


326  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

has  been  his  superior ;  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  in 
some  respects  no  man  has  been  his  peer.  Not  greatly  given 
to  talk,  he  had  the  rarer  power  of  listening  till  he  had  mas 
tered  every  point  of  a  discussion,  and  of  then  stating,  in  the 
form  of  a  motion  or  resolution,  the  line  of  policy  in  which 
conflicting  views  might  be  harmonized.  The  action  of  the 
missionary  committee  was  oftener  his.  in  instances  of  this 
kind,  than  of  any  other  person,  and  this,  never  from  an  over- 
bearing influence,  but  from  an  extraordinary  power  of  insight 
and  adjustment.  These  missionary  services,  like  his  pastoral 
services,  can  never  be  over-estimated.  If  he  goes  to  Alton, 
he  goes  with  still  the  jDower  of  rendering  exalted  service ;  and 
he  is  the  man  to  stand  by  his  Master's  work  to  the  last." 

On  the  contrary,  another  writer  gives  his  opinion  in  lan- 
guage which  met  with  a  response  in  multitudes  of  loving 
hearts. 

"Dr.  Stow,  instead  of  resigning,  ought  to  have  had  a  good, 
active  colleague.  This  mark  of  respect  was  due  to  him,  and 
would  have  been  an  honor  to  the  church.  He  ought  not  to 
leave  Boston  for  any  Avestern  field.  He  has  spent  thirty-five 
years  in  an  active,  useful  ministry,  which  has  been  unsurpassed; 
and  here  he  ought  to  spend  his  last  days,  which  ought  to  be 
made  his  best." 

We  cannot  refrain  from  enriching  our  pages  with  the  fol- 
lowing most  beautiful  and  touching  letter  sent  to  Dr.  Stow 
by  his  brethren  in  the  ministry.  Its  great  influence  on  the 
decision  which  he  finally  reached  cannot  be  doubted. 

Dear  Brother  :  We,  the  undersigned,  your  brethren,  most 
of  Avhom  are  younger  than  yourself^  and  others,  your  life-long 
friends,  with  whom  you  have  been  associated  in  the  pastoral 
ofiice,  are  tenderly  sensitive  tq  the  circumstances  in  Avhich 
you  now  ask  our  advice.  We  will  not  attempt  to  express  the 
emotions  of  personal  sympathy  and  afiection  with  which  our 
hearts  are  full.     In  regard  to  the  j^osition  ofiered  for  your 


PROTEST    AGAINST    IIIS    LEAVING    BOSTON.  3:27 

ncceptance  at  Upper  Alton,  111.,  we  can  only  say,  that  we 
have  no  doubt  it  is  a  field  which  should  be  occupied  by  one 
of  the  strongest  men  in  our  denomination,  and  we  appreciate 
the  good  judgment  of  the  church  and  the  friends  of  the 
college  in  directing  their  attention  to  yourself.  We  hesitate 
to  give  counsel  to  one,  of  whom  it  is  more  natural  that  we 
should  ask  it;  but  we  are  strongly  of  the  oi^inion,  —  and  in  tliis 
decision  of  our  judgment  our  hearts  very  warmly  and  in- 
stinctively coincide,  —  that  you  should  pass  the  remainder  of 
your  life  in  this  vicinity.  You  were  born  in  New  England. 
Here  you  have  been  engaged  in  the  active  duties  of  the 
pastorate  for  nearly  forty  years,  thirty-five  of  which  have  been 
passed  in  this  city.  Here  is  your  home.  You  know  the 
habits  and  character  of  the  people,  and  they  know  you.  Your 
name  is  identified  with  the  Baptists  of  Massachusetts  and  of 
Boston ;  nor  is  there  any  name  more  honored  and  beloved 
among  us.  Your  reputation  is  unsullied,  and  we  look  ujion 
it  as  the  gift  of  God  to  our  churches  and  ministry,  and  should 
be  guarded  and  used  by  us,  especially  now  in  the  evening  of 
your  days,  as  a  sacred  trust.  You  have  a  matured  experience. 
We  cannot  forget  how  often  you  have  appeared  as  if  intui- 
tively to  speak  the  right  Avord  in  the  right  place,  and  how 
frequently  you  have  embodied  in  a  brief  paragraph  or  resolu- 
tion the  united  sentiment  of  a  public  meeting,  and  thus 
hannonized  conflicting  elements.  We  know  what  your  in- 
fluence has  been  at  Newton,  and  in  the  Missionary  Union, 
and  in  all  our  benevolent  institutions.  We  need  that 
influence  now  more  than  ever.  We  know  that  we  can- 
not have  it  many  years  longer;  and  on  this  account  we 
cling  to  it  the  more  earnestly.  Your  fellow-citizens  of  Bos- 
ton, old  and  young,  many  of  whom  are  unknown  to  you  i»er- 
sonally,  but  who  have  seen  you  for  many  years  on  public 
occasions,  who  have  heard  you  in  the  pulpit,  and  have  met 
you  daily  in  the  streets,  would  sadly  miss  the  familiar  voice 
and  form.  We  know,  too,  your  own  temperament,  your  at- 
tachment to  early  scenes,  and  the  friends  you  have  known 
and  loved  so  long!    We  are  sure  that  you  could  not  be  sepa* 


328  MEMOIR    OF   DR.    STOW. 

rated  from  them  without  a  heart-pang,  whicli,  though  borne 
in  silence,  would  still  rest  painfully  upon  your  sensitive  spirit, 
to  the  close  of  life.  So  far,  therefore,  as  we  are  able  to  in- 
terpret the  present  indications  of  Providence,  our  advice  is, 
that  you  remain  where  you  are,  confidently  believing  that  the 
Lord  has  work  for  you  to  do,  and  in  his  own  time  will  make 
the  path  of  duty  plain  before  you. 

RoLLiN  H.  Neale,  WillIxVM  Hague, 

J.  N.  MuRDOCK,  O.  T.  Walker, 

J.  W.  Olmstead,  D.  C.  Eddy, 

"William  C.  Child,  A.  Webster, 

James  Upham,  W.  V.  Garner, 

Granville  S.  Abbott,  Justin  D.  Fulton, 

P.  Stowe,  E.  a.  Lecompte. 
Boston,  October  21,  1867. 

Such  a  tribute  of  respect  and  aflection  from  his  brethren, 
any  minister  might  well  covet.  In  view  of  all  the  reasons 
which  presented  themselves  to  his  mind.  Dr.  Stow  decided 
to  remain  in  his  long  and  dearly  cherished  home.  The  tree, 
now  growing  venerable  with  age,  had  struck  down  its  roots 
too  deep,  and  spread  its  tendrils  too  widely,  to  be  rudely 
torn  up  and  transplanted  to  another  soil.  There  was  no  lack 
of  opportunity  to  render  service  in  his  own  line  of  professional 
duty.  If  he  was  nominally  without  a  pastoral  charge,  he 
was  constantly  performing  the  work  of  a  pastor.  Now  we 
find  him  at  Laconia,  N.  II.,  performing  the  last  offices  of  kind- 
ness and  I'espect  for  his  old  friend  and  parishioner,  Colonel 
Selden  Crockett.  A  few  weeks  after  he  alludes  to  the  funeral 
services  performed  over  the  remains  of  Mrs.  Sarah  Colby,  the 
mother  of  another  of  Iiis  warm  friends,  Gardiner  Colby,  Esq, 
■Of  her  he  says,  "  I  could  speak  of  her  without  a  drawback. 
She  was  fifty  years  a  true,  exemplary  Christian,  a  woman  of 
great  energy,  with  strong  elements  of  character,  developed  by 
hard  struggles  and  much  sharp  discipline." 

To  relieve  him  of  the  pecuniary  burdens,  which,  of  course, 
were  pressing  upon  him,  the  friends  of  Dr.  Stow  jjurchased 


DARK    SHADOWS.  329 

for  him  an  annuity  policy  of  one  tlioiisaud  dollars.  His  ser- 
vices as  a  preacher  were  in  almost  constant  demand,  and  his 
busy  pen  was  in  requisition  every  Aveek  to  furnish  articles  for 
the  columns  of  the  AVatclnuan  and  Reflector,  and  otiier  reli- 
gious jteriodicals.  His  friends  saw  no  flagging  of  his  intellec- 
tual powers,  and  he  did  a  vast  amount  of  mental  labor  with 
his  wonted  facility.  In  all  the  movements  of  the  church,  of 
which  he  had  for  so  many  years  been  the  pastor,  he  took  an 
abiding  interest ;  and  Avhen,  convinced  of  their  inability  longer 
to  sustain  themselves  in  Rowe  Street,  they  decided  to  remove 
to  their  present  locality,  no  heart  was  more  gladdened  by  the 
decision  than  Avas  that  of  Dr.  Stow.  He  performed  the  ser- 
vice of  laying  the  corner  stone  of  the  new  edifice.  On  the 
completion  of  the  lecture-room  of  the  new  church,  he  preached, 
April  25,  18G9,  the  first  sermon  in  its  pulpit. 

Death  continued  to  break  the  ties  which  bound  him  to 
friends  Mhom  he  had  loved  for  years.  One  after  another  — 
Dr.  Cushman,  Rev.  P.  Stowe,  Hon.  Richard  Fletcher,  Deacon 
Heman  Lincoln  —  were  called  away.  Of  the  last  he  writes, 
"  Blessed  be  God  for  his  useful  life.  Yesterday  (July  24)  he 
recognized  me  with  a  smile  and  a  pressure  of  the  hand." 
These  various  bereavements  weighed  he^jvily  upon  his  spirits. 
They  made  him  feel  how  solitary  he  was  becoming  by  these 
removals  of  long-cherished  friends  to  the  other  world.  It 
must  not  be  denied  also  that  he  felt  keenly  the  loneliness  of 
tlie  ])osition  Avhich  he  now  occupied.  We  have  seen  how  he 
loved  the  pastoral  office,  which  he  had  sustained  for  nearly 
forty  years  with  scarcely  any  interruption.  Now  he  felt  as 
if  he  was  out  of  his  appropriate  sphere.  He  was  not  con- 
scious of  any  fiiilure  in  the  vital  forces  of  his  nature.  Those 
who  saw  him  in  the  committee-room  of  the  mission-house  in 
Rcdford  Street,  those  who  read  the  productions  of  liis  pen, 
or  listened  to  his  preaching  on  the  Sabbath,  felt  that  the  old 
vigor  and  life  were  still  there,  and  that,  fostered  by  genial  in- 
fluences, such  as  had  surrounded  him  hi  other  days,  perhaps 
years  of  useful  service  might  still  be  in  reserve  for  him.  But 
his  intimate  friends  saw  that,   with   all  his  attempts  when 


330  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

among  men  to  appear  cheerful  and  liappy,  lie  was  sad  and 
downcast.  He  dwelt  with  sorrow  on  his  position  as  a  minis- 
ter without  a  pastoral  charge.  The  work  of  a  ]iastor  liad 
been  his  cherished  A'ocation  for  so  many  years  tliat  it  Avas  ex- 
ceedingly hard  to  lay  aside  this  vocation.  He  missed  the 
sympathy  of  his  "  own  people."  He  wanted  the  love  of  a 
church  who  with  fondness  could  call  him  "jjastor,"  and 
whom,  in  the  arms  of  his  faith,  he  could  daily  carry  to  the 
throne  of  heavenly  grace.  Now  he  felt  —  we  may  say  that 
the  feeling  was  a  morbid  one,  but  to  him  it  was  intensely 
real  —  that  he  Avas  cast  into  the  shade.  He  Avould  not  mur- 
mur against  the  will  of  God ;  but  he  drank  the  cup  Avhicli  was 
pressed  to  his  lips  with  a  depth  of  grief  which  it  Avas  sad  to 
behold.  How  many  of  his  A\'arm  friends  Avould  gladly  have 
chased  aAvay  those  sombre  clouds  Avhich  brooded  oA'crhini! 
But  it  Avas  not  in  the  power  of  any  human  being  to  scatter 
them.  In  the  circumstances  in  Avhich  he  Avas  ])laced,he  would 
not  have  been  Baron  StOAV,  had  he  felt  any  differently  from 
Avhat  he  did  feel.  His  friends,  companions  of  his  earlier  and 
his  riper  years,  falling  around  him  in  CA^ery  direction ;  turned 
aside  from  the  endeared  occupations  of  a  long  ministerial  life, 
feeling  —  Avdiether  justly  or  mijustly  Ave  Avill  not  midertake  to 
say  —  that  his  brethren  Avere  beginning  to  regard  him  as  old 
and  Avorn  out,  Avhen  he  felt  conscious  that  his  ability  to  do 
good  service  for  his  Lord  and  Mastei*  in  that  department  of 
relioious  Avork  in  Avhich  he  had  Avrouoht  for  a  lifetime,  Avas 
not  essentially  weakened,  —  Ave  repeat  it,  he  Avould  not  have 
been  Baron  StoAv  if  he  had  not  given  Avay  to  depression  of 
spirits,  and  sometimes  sunk  doAvn  almost  overAvhelmed  under 
the  burdens  he  Avas  bearing.  Occasionally  there  Avould  be  a 
Sabbath,  Avhen,  although  he  felt  vigorous  and  Avell,  it  Avould 
happen  that  his  services  Avere  not  in  demand,  and  he  Avho 
loved  the  pulpit  Avith  the  ardor  of  an  almost  unquenchalile 
passion  Avould  be  compelled  to  pass  the  day  in  silence.  Such 
Sabbaths,  to  hitn,  Avere  days  of  bitter  anguish.  It  is  unques- 
tionably true  that  this  experience  through  Avhich  he  Avas  pass- 
ins  was  the  means  of  hasteninqr   the  end  Avhich  Avas  noAV 


CORRESPONDENCE.  331 

cli'fiwhig  so  rapidly  near.  The  Master  whom  he  had  so  long 
and  so  faithfully  served  saw  that  the  load  that  he  was  carrying 
was  greater  than  he  could  bear,  and  in  mercy  to  him  he  took 
him  to  a  higher  and  holier  sphere  of  labor  and  enjoyment, 
where  the  weary  one  would  be  at  rest. 

Pursuing  still  the  plan  Avhicli  we  have  followed  in  the  pre- 
ceding pages,  we  make  one  more  draft  ujion  his  corres])on- 
dence.  The  extracts  we  give  have  a  peculiar  interest,  because 
they  are  taken  from  the  last  letters  he  ever  wrote.  Knowing 
how  sincerely  he  would  deprecate  the  presentation  of  thouglits 
and  feelings  which  grew  out  of  his  private  griefs,  we  refrain 
from  bringing  these  to  the  notice  of  our  readers.  We  pre- 
sent those  only  to  which  we  think  he  would  make  no  objec- 
tion. 

To  Rev.  Ira  Pearson. 

Boston,  January  16,  1867. 

Your  kind  favor  of  the  14th  came  to  hand  this  morning, 
and,  as  a  Chinaman  would  say,  "  It  made  me  ten  parts  happy." 

Right  glad  am  I  to  hear  from  you,  my  early  pastor,  and 
long  my  true  and  faithful  fellow-laborer.  Hardly  can  I  realize 
that  you  are  ten  years  older  than  myself.  You  always  ap- 
peared so  young,  with  no  signs  of  decay,  bodily  or  mental ! 
Good  habits,  a  good  conscience,  and  an  eminently  good  wife 
have  had  an  eminently  conserving  influence  upon  your  vital 
forces,  so  that  at  seventy-five,  without  weakness  or  weariness, 
you  maintain  your  position  on  the  walls  of  Zion.  And  now, 
by  the  grace  of  God,  you  are  having  your  youth  renewed, 
and  are  gathering  a  harvest  from  the  seed  you  have  sown. 
How  sweet  the  words  you  quote  !  —  "Mine  eyes  have  seen  thy 
salvation."  Simeon  had  the  best  sight ;  you  are  having  the 
next  best.  O,  how  glorious  to  see  sinners  eflectually  subdued 
by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  brought  to  Christ  for  life  and  peace ! 
This  your  joy  is  now  full.  May  God  give  you  grace  and 
strength  to  labor  in  this  harvest  season,  and  permit  you  the 
privilege,  not  only  of  gathering  many  converts,  but  of  training 
them  for  effectual  service  when  you  shall  have  entered  into 
rest. 


332  MEMOIK   OF   DR.    STOW. 

For  a  few  years  past  I  have  been  working  hard  without 
nmch  apparent  fruit.  It  is  a  trial  of  faith,  but  I  do  not 
despair  of  witnessing  some  further  results  of  my  labors. 
Your  experience  encourages  me  to  hope  for  a  blessing  on 
the  word  I  have  preached.  Pray  for  me,  that,  whatever  may 
be  my  appointed  lot,  I  may  be  '•'•faithful  unto  death."  My 
term  of  service  is  drawing  to  a  close.  I  still  love  the  work, 
and  cheerfully  toil  on  ;  but  I  have  no  wish  to  go  back  and 
begin  anew.  The  eternal  future  looks  brighter  than  the  tem- 
poral past.  To  depart  and  be  with  Christ  is  far  better  than 
any  joys  of  the  present  life.  Dear  brother  and  sister,  we  look 
lor  a  reunion  in  the  better  land.  The  last  time  I  saw  good 
Mrs.  Farnsworth,  at  Rochester,  in  1852,  she  said  to  me  in 
parting,  "  Brother,  the  children  of  God  never  see  one  another 
for  the  last  time." 

To  Reuben  A.  Guild,  Esq. 

Boston,  July  19,  1867. 

I  received  to-day,  by  express,  a  copy  of  your  History  of 
Brown  University,  and  in  it  your  autograph  as  the  donor. 
Really  it  was  very  kind  in  you  thus  to  remember  your  old 
friend  and  early  pastor.  Be  sure  I  appreciate  the  gift  as 
valuable,  and  the  more  as  coming  from  you.  I  have  already 
looJicd  it  through,  and  learned  Avhat  a  feast  I  have  in  store 
when  I  shall  be  able  to  do  as  I  did  wdth  your  Life  of  Presi- 
dent Manning  —  read  it  through.  Many  thanks,  my  dear 
Reuben,  for  this  new  act  of  filial  kindness.  May  you  long 
be  spared  to  bless  the  kingdom  of  letters  with  the  products 
of  your  facile  and  accurate  pen.  The  numerous  friends  of 
Brown  University  owe  you  a  large  debt  of  more  than  gi'ati- 
tude  for  your  extraordinary  services,  both  as  librarian  and 
historian.  What  can  I  do  to  reward  you  ?  It  will  be  my 
study  to  secure  for  you  some  fitting  recognition  of  such  in- 
valuable services. 

Pardon  me  if  I  feel  some  complacency  in  the  thought  that 
you  are,  through  divine  grace,  "my  son  in  the  gosi^el."  "Be 
thou  fiuthfvd  unto  death." 


COREESPOXDENCE.  333 

To  Deacon  II.  B.  Hart. 

Boston,  December  31,  18G7. 

I  have  your  favor  of  yesterday,  and  my  lieart  thanks  you 
for  it.  In  my  advanced  years  it  is  a  rich  solace  to  be  so  af 
fectionately  remembered  by  those  Avho  long  ago  called  mo 
pastor.  I  think  often  of  you  and  your  excellent  Avife  in  con- 
nection with  the  dear  church  in  Portsmouth,  and  tlie  thouglit 
always  reassures  me  that  I  have  not  lived  in  vain.  I  feel 
quite  sure  that  you  two  maybe  reckoned  as  "my  joy  and 
crown  of  rejoicing  in  the  day  of  the  Lord  Jesus." 

How  vivid  are  my  recollections  of  that  period  to  which 
you  refer,  thirty-eight  years  ago !  And  that  severely  cold 
day,  January  24, 1830,  when  I  buried  you  and  dear  Sarah,  and 
raised  you  up  "  to  walk  in  newness  of  life."  How  fresh  are 
all  its  incidents  in  my  memory ! 

You  and  I  have  since  witnessed  many  changes ;  and  now 
we  are  in  the  autumn  of  life,  looking  towards  the  conclusion 
of  the  i)eriod  assigned  us  for  labor.  I  grieve  that  I  have  not 
better  served  my  blessed  Master ;  but  I  cannot  ask  him  to 
take  me  back  a  single  year.  I  do  not  regret  that  I  am  so  far 
on  my  homeward  way.  My  prospect  for  the  remainder  of  this 
life  is  dark ;  but  beyond  there  is  light ;  and  so,  putting  my 
hand  in  His  whom  I  can  trust  in  the  darkest  way,  I  press 
on  in  hope.  Forty  years  I  l>ave  endeavored  to  serve  him, 
and  I  have  ever  found  him  true  and  fiithful.  Surely  he  will 
not  now  forsake  me. 

Should  it  be  right  for  Mr.  Small  to  leave  Bangor,  I  hope 
you  may  be  successful  in  securing  him.  I  have  very  little 
acquaintance  with  him ;  but  his  reputation  is  excellent,  both 
as  a  preacher  and  a  pastor. 

To  Rev.  Dr.  A.  Woods. 

Boston,  February  15,  1869. 

I  learn  from  Providence  that  you  have  recently  been  af- 
flicted with  severe  indisposition.  Hoping  soon  to  hear  that 
you  are  relieved  from  suffering  and  decidedly  convalescent, 
I  write,  not  to  tax  you  with  a  reply,  but  to  assure  you  of  my 


33-1  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

fiTcternal  sympathy,  and  of  my  prayers  that  God  will  spare 
you  to  your  many  friends,  and  to  the  important  denomina- 
tional interests  with  which  you  are  identified.  "When  you 
shall  be  fully  able,  I  shall  be  glad  to  hear  directly  from  you. 
Of  course  you  feel  how  great  is  our  loss  in  the  death  of  our 
excellent  brother,  J.  H.  Duncan.  I  have  just  finished  a  me- 
morial notice  of  him  for  this  week's  Watchman  and  Reflector. 
Your  thoughts,  like  mine,  will  turn  to  the  difiiculty  of  sup- 
plying his  place  in  our  Board  of  Fellows.  May  God  direct 
us  in  the  choice,  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  reduce  our  Baptist 
strength. 


TB.£i   BUSY    WRITEE.  835 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

Connection  with  the  Watchman  and  Reflector.  —  His  last 
Article,  "Calvinism  a  Power." — Sickness  and  Death.  —  Fu- 
neral. —  Letters  from  President  M.  B.  Anderson,  Dr.  W. 
Dean,  Dr.  R.  Fuller,  and  Dr.  B.  Sears. 

In  the  previous  chaptei'  it  has  been  said  that  the  friencis  of 
Dr.  Stow  failed  to  notice  any  breaking  up  of  his  intellectual 
powers.  The  ready,  facile  pen  performed  its  office  with  its 
wonted  vigor  and  ease,  and  the  mental  efforts  which  he  put 
forth  showed  that  his  mind  had  preserved  its  customary  en- 
ergy. His  relations  with  the  public  press,  which,  from  his 
college  days,  had  always  been  kept  up,  were  now  more  inti- 
mate than  ever.  Nearly  all  our  leading  denominational  pa- 
pers were  enriched  by  the  productions  of  his  pen,  while  he 
gavA.  during  the  last  two  years  of  his  life,  some  of  the  best 
results  of  his  intellectual  activity  to  the  Watchman  and  Re- 
flector, the  i^aper  in  whose  j^rosperity  he  had  taken  the  most 
lively  interest  from  the  very  commencement  of  its  existence. 
During  the  last  year  of  his  life  he  prepared,  on  an  average, 
two  columns  of  matter  for  each  weekly  issue  of  this  pa2">er ; 
and  his  fruitful  mind  so  teemed  with  thoughts  that  he  never 
appeared  to  be  at  a  loss  for  subjects  upon  which  to  write. 
Dr.  Olmstead  says  that  "  his  full  volume  of  matter  was  always 
to  be  depended  upon.  Method  and  fidelity  were  leading 
characteristics  of  the  good  and  able  man  now  entered  into 
rest."  Without  doubt  Dr.  Stow  had  contributed,  through  his 
long,  active,  professional  life,  to  this  paper,  always  so  dear  to 
him,  as  much  matter,  perhaps  more,  than  any  other  general 
correspondent.     He  had  a  rare  gift  for  writing  biographical 


336  MEMOIR   OF   DE.    STOW. 

sketches  of  his  deceased  friends,  saying  just  what  every  one 
felt  was  due  to  the  memory  of  the  departed,  in  simple,  chaste 
language,  and  lie  made  tlie  columns  of  the  Watchman  and 
Reflector  the  medium  of  his  communication.  His  last  articles 
were  among  his  best. 

So  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  learn,  the  last  production 
of  his  i^en  was  written  not  far  from  three  weeks  before  his 
death.  The  circumstances  under  which  this  article,  written 
for  the  Christian  Era,  was  jirepared,  were  so  touching  that 
we  cannot  forbear  alluding  to  them.  On  the  morning  of  the 
Sabbath  when  he  was  stricken  down  by  the  sickness  which 
proved  fatal,  he  felt  in  a  peculiar  degree  the  sadness  which 
usually  oppressed  his  spirits  on  the  Lord's  day.  It  was  one 
of  the  few  Sabbaths  when  he  was  debarred  the  pleasure  of 
preaching  the  gospel,  and  the  honrs  of  the  day  seemed  to  drag 
heavily.  So  great  was  the  gloom  which  weighed  upon  him, 
that  he  felt  a  disinclination  to  attend  public  worship  which  he 
could  not  overcome,  and  he  decided  to  spend  the  day  in  the 
privacy  of  his  own  study.  Although  he  was  cast  down  in 
heart,  his  mind  retained  its  wonted  power.  As  a  relief  to  his 
laboring  intellect,  and  perhaps  to  do  something  to  chase  away 
the  sorrows  of  which  he  was  conscious,  he  sat  down  at  his 
desk  and  wrote  the  following  paper,  which  shortly  after  ap- 
peared in  the  Era.  Thrown  off,  as  it  was,  rapidly,  "  currente 
calamo,"  Ave  think  it  will  cora2>are  favorably  with  the  best 
eflbrts  of  his  pen. 

Calvinism  a  Powek. 

This  has  been  illusti-ated  along  more  than  three  eventful 
centuries,  in  the  formation  of  sturdy,  individual  character,  and 
in  the  shaping  of  the  history  of  great  nations.  The  infusion 
of  its  influence  into  the  Reformation  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
just  at  the  time  when  that  influence  was  needed,  saved  the 
work  of  the  German  Reformers  from  being  a  failure  by  giv- 
ing it  a  new  impetus,  and  the  concentrated  force  of  doctrinal 
elements  embodied  in  positive  forms.  Luther  and  his  asso- 
ciates struck  heavy  blows  at  the  chains  of  a  gigantic  spiritual 


CAXVINISM   A   rOWER.  337 

flospotism,  and  emancipated  millions  from  a  domination  that 
nullified  God's  authority  and  crushed  out  the  rights  of  hu- 
ranuity.  But  their  service,  wonderfully  effective,  consisted 
essentially  in  the  deliverance  of  captives  of  the  papacy  from 
a  grinding  tyranny,  doing  little  else  for  them  than  the  break- 
ing of  bonds  which  might,  after  their  death,  be  reunited  and 
made  as  restrictive  as  before.  People  Avcre  made  Protestants, 
but  not  extensively  were  they  regenerated  and  made  Chris- 
tians with  a  fiith  standing  in  the  power  of  God.  The  Ger- 
man Reformers  were  destructionists  in  the  department  of  an- 
tiquated errors  —  iconoclasts  in  the  temple  of  anti-Christian 
idolatry.  The  enginery  of  spiritual  oppression  they  vigor- 
ously demolished.  But  they  did  little  in  the  way  of  con- 
struction ;  little  adapted  to  make  Protestantism  aggressive 
into  the  domains  of  sin ;  little  to  break  np  the  rooted  deprav- 
ities of  human  nature,  and  sow  the  seeds  of  evangelical  vir- 
tues; little  to  make  men  radically  better;  little  to  set  for- 
ward the  true  agencies  of  a  progressive  Christian  civilization; 
little  that  forelaid  the  future,  and  promised  permanence  to  the 
victories  they  had  achieved.  Lutheranism  had  no  organized 
form,  and  could  never  have  culminated  in  a  successful  antag- 
onism to  the  reinvigorated  papacy,  reenforced  by  its  new  ma- 
chinery of  persecution  as  invented  in  Spain.  In  its  origin, 
spirit,  and  aims,  it  was  too  negative  to  be  an  aggressive  sys- 
tem, or  even  long  to  hold  its  own.  It  was  a  grand  pioneer  in 
the  march  of  reform;  as  "  the  Breaker"  it  did  amazing  execu- 
tion, and  God  forbid  that  we  should  disparage  its  achieve- 
ments because  not  fitted  for  the  continuous  work  which  would 
be  needed  in  the  coming  complications  of  kingcraft,  political 
intrigue,  cursing  diplomacy,  and  religious  fanaticism.  It  Avas 
well  for  the  Great  Reformation,  well  for  Christianity,  well  for 
man  along  the  revolutions  of  time,  that  Providence,  at  a  criti- 
cal juncture,  brought  forward  a  young  Frenchman,  born  at 
Noyon,  July  10,  1500,  an  eminent  Christian  scholar,  and 
trained  him  for  a  service  which  Luther,  the  battle-axe  of  in- 
ci])ient  assaults,  could  never  have  performed.  John  Calvin 
was  the  second  man  needed  —  ;i  man  not  of  an  idea,  but  of 
22 


338  MEMOIR   OF   DK.    STOW. 

ideas ;  just  the  required  organizer  to  give  Protestantism  a 
creed  that  should  take  deeply  hold  in  men's  intellectual  and 
moral  nature,  and  bring  them  to  act  in  concert  under  common 
impulses  for  the  maintenance  of  what  had  been  gained,  and 
for  the  resistance  of  the  natural  reaction  from  the  violent 
strain  to  which  minds  had  been  subjected,  and  for  the  sure 
extension  of  movements  which  were  to  bless  the  world  with 
their  triumphs.  But  for  what  was  done  at  Geneva,  by  a 
strong  liand  and  a  bold  heart,  with  God's  blessing,  hardly 
would  Lutherauism  have  left  any  permanent  trace  upon  the 
world's  history.  It  was  Calvinism  that  embodied  the  truth3 
underlying  the  Reformation,  giving  them  definitive  form, 
planting  them  in  brains  and  lieart,  whence,  deeply  rooted 
and  maturely  developed,  they  never  could  be  extirpated.  The 
history  of  the  Swiss  Protestants  and  of  the  French  Hugue- 
nots su23])lies  proof  that  Calvinism  is  a  power,  for  it  wrought 
in  them  results  nowhere  achieved  by  any  other  phase  of  the 
great  reformatory  process.  Nothing  else  provided  so  effec- 
tual a  barrier  to  the  reactive  encroachments  of  a  maddened, 
ferocious  papacy,  or  sternly  resisted  the  diabolical  system  by 
which  Ignatius  Loyola  and  his  Spanish  and  Italian  patrons 
proposed  to  expunge  the  last  remnant  of  heresy  from  Western 
and  Central  Europe.  In  Switzerland  and  the  south  of  France, 
Calvinism  formed  characters  solid  and  impregnable  as  the 
rocks,  in  whose  fastnesses  and  caverns  the  believing  found 
shelter,  and  whence  they  were  dragged  forth  to  torture  and 
martyrdom.  It  did  not  create  those  lovely  characters  which 
are  the  admiration  of  such  as  look  for  aesthetic  beauty,  but  it 
did  create  characters  suited  to  the  times,  which  needed 
strength  and  sturdiness,  capable  of  adventurous  daring  and 
unflinching  endurance.  The  French  Calvinists,  distinguished 
by  no  elegance  of  culture,  supplied  some  of  the  noblest  speci- 
mens of  Christian  courage  and  fortitude  which  martyrology 
has  embalmed  for  our  study  and  admiration. 

The  relief  which  he  sought  by  this  mental  effort  he  found ; 
and  as  the  day  wore  away,  and  the  evening  hours  came  on, 


LAST    SICKNESS.  339 

he  seemed  more  happy  and  cheerful  tlian  he  had  appeared  for 
Bome  tiiiic,  and  Avent  out  to  call  on  a  dear  friend,  of  whose 
indisposition  he  had  lieard.  On  his  return  he  had  the  attack 
which  was  tlie  first  premonition  of  his  last  sickness.  Being 
carried  to  his  room,  the  usual  remedies  were  applied,  and  tem- 
porary relief  was  experienced.  A  neighboring  physician  was 
called  in,  who  pronounced  the  case  one  of  extreme  nervous 
prostration,  and  prescribed  absolute  quiet,  telling  him  that  he 
must  lay  aside  all  mental  work.  For  three  weeks  he  con- 
tinnecl,  moi-e  or  less,  in  a  restless  mood,  changing  from  his  bed 
to  the  easy-chair,  conversing  a  little,  hearing  a  little  from  the 
daily  and  the  religious  papers,  and  oftener  from  that  book 
which,  of  all  others,  was  the  sweetest  to  him  —  the  Bible. 
Occasionally  he  Avould  pass  from  room  to  room  as  if  to  get  a 
little  exercise ;  but  he  was  expressly  ordered  by  his  physician 
to  keep  quiet,  to  see  no  company,  and  to  endeavor  to  allay 
the  undue  excitement  which  his  nervous  system  had  experi- 
enced in  consequence  of  the  peculiar  circumstances  to  which 
we  have  already  referred.  His  own  impression,  from  the  first 
of  his  sickness,  was,  that  it  was  his  last,  and  that  he  would 
never  rally  from  it.  This  impression  he  tried  to  make  upon 
the  minds  of  the  dear  ones  who  clung  so  tenderly  to  him, 
talking  about  it  with  great  sincerity  of  belief  that  life  with 
bun  was  drawing  to  a  close.  His  favorite  expression  was, 
"  O,  glorious  rest,  rest  for  the  weary." 

One  day,  as  he  passed  into  his  study,  his  wife  said  to  him, 
"Doesn't  this  place  look  inviting  to  you,  dear,  and  Avon't 
you  sit  down  to  rest  a  little  ?  "  But  his  mind  Avas  occupied 
in  the  leaAC-taking  of  that  dearly-cherished  room ;  and  as,  in 
passing,  he  laid  one  hand  on  that  Avell-worn  Bible,  the  book 
fi-om  which  he  had  drawn  the  exhaustless  treasures  of  divine 
Avisdom,  his  support  and  solace  during  the  years  that  had 
passed,  Avaving  the  other  gently,  as  if  he  Avere  bidding  adieu 
to  the  familiar  objects  by  Avhich  he  Avas  surrounded,  he  said, 
"  Take  good  care  of  all  these  books  and  papers,  as  I  know 
you  Avill ;  I  have  done  Avith  them  forever."  Hoav  sadly  these 
words   fell   on   the  ears  of  his  beloved  one*;   and  as  they 


340  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

remonstrated  with  him,  he  repHed,  "Yes,  it  is  so,  and  you  wili 
soon  reahze  it." 

There  being  no  apparent  change  in  him  for  some  time, 
strong  hopes  were  entertained  tliat  he  might  yet  recover. 
But  on  the  25th  of  December,  during  the  night  there  came 
over  his  countenance  the  change  which  those  who  wcrc- 
ministering  to  him  couhl  not  mistake.  The  hand  of  death 
was  upon  him.  The  paralyzed  tongue  coukl  no  hunger  speak, 
but  he  fully  comprehended  the  loving  words  and  caresses  of 
wife  and  daughter.  His  eye  beamed  with  unwonte*d  bril- 
liancy, though  the  seal  of  death  was  upon  him. 

Sitting  by  his  bedside,  Mrs.  Stow  watched  the  change  that 
was  passing  over  that  beloved  countenance,  and  could  not 
help  recalling  the  tender  memories  of  his  own  ministrations 
as  he  had  comforted  thousands  of  departing  saints  in  the 
hour  of  dissolution.  In  the  absence  of  all  earthly  supporters, 
she  felt  that  she  could  not  allow  his  dear  spirit  to  pass  away 
without  the  sound  of  prayer,  filling,  fointly  it  might  be,  but 
soothingly,  on  his  ear.  With  a  heart  overwhelmed  by  her  great 
grief,  she  read  a  few  verses  from  that  precious  chapter  which, 
he  had  so  often  read  in  similar  circumstances, — the  fourteenth 
chapter  of  John,  —  and  then  bowed  in  prayer,  commending  the 
departing  spirit  to  its  covenant-keeping  God  and  Saviour. 
He  drank  in  the  fimiliar  tones  of  the  voice  which  had  so 
often  cheered  him  in  the  hours  of  physical  weakness  and 
prostration  of  spirit.  His  face  beamed  with  angelic  bright- 
ness, and  he  seemed  to  have  a  glimpse  of  the  glory  of  the 
"mansion,"  of  which  he  had  just  been  hearing,  that  his  own 
Lord  had  "  prepared  "  for  him. 

After  this  his  breathing  grew  more  labored  and  heavy. 
His  strong  constitution,  still  so  vigorous,  yielded  reluctantly 
to  the  pressure  of  disease,  and  the  dying  spirit  seemed  loath 
to  leave  a  tenement  bearing  so  few  marks  of  decay.  There 
was  no  word  spoken,  not  even  a  look,  to  show  that  he  was 
conscious  of  what  was  passing.  There  was  nothing  to  in- 
dicate that  he  was  enduring  physical  sufferings ;  but  slowly, 
and  apparently  without  pain,  the  soul  was  preparing  to  take 


ADDRESS    OB^    DK.   NEALE.  341 

its  heavenly  flight.  At  seven  o'clock  A.  M.,  on  the  27th  of 
December,  1869,  the  last  struggle  was  over,  and  the  weary 
spirit  was  at  rest.  O,  what  a  resi  it  was  to  him!  What  a 
happy  release !  '^''hat  a  blessed  reunion  with  "a  great  multi- 
tu<le  whom  no  man  can  number,  who  had  come  up  out  of 
gi-eat  tribulation,  having  washed  their  robes  and  made  them 
white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb!" 

The  announcement  of  the  death  of  Dr.  Stow  made  a  pro- 
found impression  on  the  religious  community.  It  was  diffi- 
cult to  realize  that  he,  who  so  recently  had  been  seen  in  the 
customary  places  of  his  resort,  had  departed  never  to  return. 
Everything  was  done  which  respect  and  affection  could  do 
to  render  the  solemnities  of  the  funeral  befitting  the  memory 
of  one  who  held  so  warm  a  place  in  the  hearts  of  his  numer- 
ous friends.  Prayer  was  offered,  at  his  residence  on  Harrison 
Avenue,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Foljambe,  and  the  remains  were  borne 
to  the  Clarendon  Avenue  Church.  The  spacious  edifice  was 
filled  with  sincere  mourners,  most  of  whom  had  been  under 
his  pastoral  care  during  the  long  period  of  his  ministry  in 
Boston.  Introductory  services  having  been  performed  by 
Rev.  A.  J.  Gordon,  the  ministering  brethren  who  had  been  se- 
lected by  the  deceased  performed  the  duties  assigned  to  them. 
Addresses  were  made  by  Rev.  Drs.  Neale,  Warren,  and  Mur- 
dock,  and  the  funeral  prayer  was  offered  by  Dr.  Stockbridge. 

Address  of  Rev.  R.  H.  Neale,  D.  D. 

I  never  rose  before  an  audience  to  perform  a  public  official 
service  when  I  felt  so  inadequate  rightly  to  meet  the  occasion. 
The  death  of  our  brother  has  taken  us  all  by  surprise.  We 
noticed,  indeed,  his  absence  from  the  recent  dedication,  in 
wliii-h  he  was  expected  to  take  part,  and  I  was  told  that  he 
was  sick  at  home.  I  wish  I  had  gone  at  once  to  see  him;  but 
I  supposed  he  was  suffering  only  from  a  passing  shadow, 
occasioned,  perhaps,  by  existing  circumstances.  I  fully  ex- 
jiected  to  meet  him  here  at  the  recognition  services  on  Sun- 
<lay  evening  last.  Though  disappointed,  I  did  not  dream  of 
eorious  illness.     Late  in  the  evening  I  was  startled  by  the 


342  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

rumor  that  his  physician  thought  him  clangevous,  and  that 
his  recovery  was  doubtful ;  but  knowing  his  temperament,  his 
tendency  to  depression,  I  thought  a  visit  of  friendshij)  next 
morning,  and  a  few  words  of  encouragemert  such  as  we  both 
needed,  and  as  had  often  passed  between  us,  Avould  be 
welcome  to  him,  if  not  an  effectual  restorative,  I  was  ac- 
cordingly on  my  way  to  his  house  for  this  purpose.  The  crapo 
on  the  door  was  the  first  silent  but  impressive  voice  which 
announced  that  my  friend  was  gone.  As  the  sad  news  ra})id- 
ly  spread  through  the  city  from  one  to  another,  the  downcast 
look,  the  tearful  eye,  friend  grasping  friend  by  the  hand  in 
silence,  told  the  deep  sorrow  all  felt.  His  ministering  brethren, 
assembled  in  groups,  his  church  members,  his  many  friends, 
who  loved  him  tenderly,  and  to  whom  for  years  his  voice  and 
features  have  been  familiar  and  sacred  as  the  Sabbath  and 
the  sanctuary,  were  seen  weeping.  There  was  a  solemnity 
throughout  the  city  on  hearing  of  his  death,  and  spontaneous 
expressions  of  respect  and  esteem  for  one  who  has  been  so 
long  and  so  favorably  known  among  us. 

He  was  called  to  Boston  in  1832,  where  he  has  remained 
till  the  time  of  his  death,  first  as  pastor  of  the  Baldwin  Placo 
Church,  and  then  of  the  Rowe  Street,  now  Clarendon  Avenue 
Church.  Such  is  the  brief  record.  But  of  the  unwritten  history, 
of  the  excellences  of  his  personal  character,  what  shall  I  say? 
He  disliked  extravagant  eulogy,  and  in  his  last  sickness,  with 
characteristic  modesty,  expressed  a  wish  that  no  flattering 
compliments  would  be  paid  at  his  funeral.  But  I  cannot 
refrain  from  uttering  what  I  know  is  the  universal  sentiment, 
—  not  to  praise  him,  but  to  the  glory  of  divine  grace,  —  that 
he  was  one  of  the  best  and  purest  of  men,  a  bright  ornament 
of  the  Christian  ministry,  an  honor  to  his  denomination,  who 
have  always  appreciated  his  worth,  and  who  will  not  fiiil  to 
cherish  his  memory  among  their  choicest  treasures.  He  has 
passed  through  a  long  life  without  a  stain  upon  his  moral 
character,  without  a  blemish  upon  his  reputation.  A  rich  in- 
heritance has  he  left  to  his  family,  and  friends,  and  the  cause 
of  Christ,  in  that  good  name  which  is  more  precious  than 


ADDRESS    OF   DR.    NEALE.  343' 

rubies.  Dr.  Stow  was  known  for  his  uniform  sweetness  of 
spirit,  an  unusual  refineniont  of  manner,  and  a  high  degree  of 
Christian  courtesy  in  his  intercourse  with  society.  I  never 
heard  of  a  quarrel  to  which  he  was  a  party.  It  may  be 
thought,  perhaps,  that  he  was  too  careful  and  prudent  in 
keeping  clear  from  conflicts  and  difficulties.  I  used  to  exhort 
him,  ludicrously  enough,  I  have  no  doubt,  to  those  who  know 
my  own  deficiencies  in  this  respect,  to  be  more  belligerent, 
firm,  and  self-asserting,  especially  where,  as  I  thought,  im- 
portant principles  were  involved ;  but  he  would  mildly  reply, 
"  A  bishop  must  be  no  striker,  but  gentle,  showing  all  meek- 
ness unto  all  men." 

Dr.  Stow  has  been  distinguished  in  past  years,  and  will  be 
remembered  hereafter,  I  doubt  not,  as  preeminently  powerful 
in  the  pulpit.  To  those  who  have  known  him  only  in  the  full- 
ness of  his  maturity,  he  has  appeared  principally  as  a  sound, 
judicious  man;  somewhat  enfeebled  in  frame,  but  with  unim- 
paired mental  power ;  a  reliable  and  safe  counsellor,  fitted  to 
any  position  of  trust  where  character  and  wisdom  Avere  re- 
quired ;  embodjdng  weighty  sentiments  in  short,  pithy  para- 
graphs, furnishing  rich  and  most  instructive  articles  of  denomi- 
national history  in  the  Christian  Watchman  and  Reflector, 
■with  which  he  has  been  connected  editorially  the  past  two 
years  ;  preparing  appropriate  resolutions  for  public  meetings  ; 
giving  counsel  and  facilitating  business  in  the  missionary 
rooms,  and  in  the  boards  of  trustees  at  Newton  and  Provi- 
dence ;  evincing  always  a  remarkable  instinct  and  insight  — 
"long  feelers,"  as  Dr.  Wayland  used  to  say  of  him;  seeing 
at  a  glance  the  varying  currents  of  public  thought,  and  with 
wonderful  adroitness  making  them  subservient  to  his  purpose 
by  saying  the  right  thing  at  the  right  time.  As  a  preacher  to 
the  younger  portion  of  his  hearers,  he  has  appeared  sincere 
and  earnest  indeed,  uttering  rich,  solid  gospel  truth,  but  with- 
out any  attempt  at  eloquence  or  ornament.  He  always  de- 
lighted in  what  he  called  the  Pauline  style  —  soimd  speech 
that  could  not  be  condemned,  in  doctrine,  showing  uncorrupt- 
uess,  gravity,  sincerity,  and  withal  showing  himself  a  i^attern 


344  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

of  good  works,  so  tliat  they  who  were  of  the  contrary  part  might 
be  ashamed,  having  no  evil  thing  to  say  of  him.  But  I  remem 
ber,  —  and  so  do  others,  —  that  Avhen  he  first  came  to  Boston, 
and  for  years  afterwards,  no  man  stood  higher  as  a  pulpit  ora- 
tor. He  was  a  most  effective  speaker,  not  only  the  equal  of  his 
brethren,  but  their  acknowledged  superior,  taller  by  the  head 
and  shoulders  than  the  men  of  Israel.  The  spacious  house  in 
Baldwin  Place  w^ns  thronged  w-ith  admiring  listeners  Sabbath 
after  Sabbath,  year  in  and  year  out.  The  students  from  New- 
ton and  Cambridge  esteemed  it  a  privilege,  as  I  well  know,  to 
come  afoot  into  the  city  for  the  purpose  of  being  present  at 
his  Sunday  evening  lecture.  He  was  then  full  of  vital  energy. 
His  eye  sparkled  with  animation.  His  clear,  sonorous,  ring- 
ing voice  fell  delightfully  upon  the  ear.  There  was  a  resist- 
less power  in  his  eloquence,  like  the  sweep  and  swell  of  an 
ocean  wave.  He  had  his  audience  completely  at  his  com- 
mand, moving  them  to  alternate  smiles  and  tears,  and,  like  a 
skilful  helmsman,  turning  them,  at  will,  "  whithersoever  the 
governor  listeth."  And  what  is  better  still,  the  secret  of  his 
power  was,  that  he  walked  with  God.  He  lived  near  to  the 
cross.  He  went  from  his  knees  into  the  pulpit,  and  spoke  un- 
der the  influence  of  an  unction  from  the  Holy  One.  Hence 
he  obtained  what  his  heart  most  desired  —  not  praises  for  him- 
self, but  trophies  for  his  Master,  penitential  tears,  rejoicing 
converts,  and  souls  redeemed.  Gratefully  do  I  remember  at 
this  hour  those  refreshing  seasons  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord  which  I  have  shared  with  him,  Avhen  his  heart  was  filled 
with  gladness,  and  his  countenance  shone  as  it  had  been  the 
face  of  an  angel. 

There  was  another  feature  in  his  character  and  experience 
so  prominent  to  those  acquainted  with  him  in  his  earlier  and 
later  years,  that  I  am  unwilling  to  pass  it  by  without  notice. 
More  than  any  man  I  ever  knew,  Dr.  Stow  had  the  power  of 
inspiring  confidence,  and  attacliing  others  to  himself  There 
was  something  in  his  voice  and  manner,  something  in  his  look, 
his  eye,  and  still  more  in  his  heart,  that  gave  an  impression  to 
others  that  he  loved  them;  and  he  did,  and  they  loved  him  in 


ADDRESS    OF    DR.    NEALE.  345 

return.  Other  students,  however  good  and  pious,  li:ul  tlieir 
enemies  ns  Avell  as  friends.  The  officers,  excellent  men  as 
tliey  Avere  known  to  be,  Conant,  Chase,  Knowles,  Dr.  Staugh- 
ton  even,  were  not  universally  popular.  But  the  Faculty,  and 
all  the  students,  noith  and  south,  from  the  seniors  down  to 
the  fourtli  class  in  the  preparatory  school,  loved  Baron  Stow, 
and  spoke  of  him  in  terms  of  unqualified  praise.  And  thus 
it  has  been  in  his  after  life.  The  church  at  Portsmouth,  and 
the  Baptists  of  New  Hampshire  generally,  perfectly  idolized 
him,  and  do  so  to  this  day.  The  Baldwin  Place  people,  through 
his  entire  pastorate,  —  I  bear  them  rccoi'd,  —  were  ready 
to  pluck  out  their  own  eyes,  and  give  them  to  him.  He  came 
to  the  Rowe  Street  Church  like  the  sun  in  its  meridian.  Here 
he  found  a  people  always  ready  to  throw  around  him  every 
kindly  influence,  and  to  save  him,  so  far  as  2")ossible,  from  any 
ehunent  of  the  "shady  side."  No  Avoe  was  near  him,  or  in 
prospect,  only  that  all  men  spoke  well  of  him.  Other  minis- 
ters generally  have  to  meet  a  diversity  of  opinion  among 
their  hearers  —  a  mixture  of  likes  and  dislikes.  With  him, 
on  the  contrary,  life  seemed  an  unbroken,  balmy  summer's 
day  —  no  clouds  in  his  sky,  no  thorns  in  his  path.  What 
minister  Avas  ever  more  highly  esteemed  in  this  community, 
din-ing  a  period  of  now  nearly  forty  years,  than  he?  What 
jiastor  was  ever  more  tendei-ly  cherished  by  his  ministering 
brethren,  or  more  warmly  welcomed  to  our  churches  and  pul- 
pits ?  Indeed,  the  misfortune  was,  that  he  has  been,  through 
life,  I  had  almost  said,  a  petted  favorite.  Hence  he  felt  the 
more  keenly  those  trials  which  are  sure  to  come  sooner  or 
later  to  us  all.  It  is  a  hard  lesson,  that  of  the  old  prophet, 
but  strictly  true  —  "  It  is  good  for  a  man  that  he  should  bear 
the  yoke  in  his  youth." 

The  dissolution  of  Dr.  Stow's  pastoral  relation  was  indeed 
a  crushing  trial  to  himself  as  well  as  to  his  people.  He  loved 
to  preach.  He  was  at  home  in  the  piilpit.  He  was  never  so 
happy  as  in  that  work  from  Mhich,  in  the  ])rovidence  of  God, 
f.o  was  now  laid  aside.  It  was  a  second  nature  to  him,  nay,  his 
highest  and  divinest,  to  go  in  and  out  before  a  loved  and  lov- 


346  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

iiig  people,  breaking  to  them  the  bread  of  life.  I  do  not  won- 
der that  he  felt  unreconciled  to  the  marked  change,  which, 
however  imperative  the  cause,  had  occurred  in  his  outward 
relations.  With  no  ministerial  charge,  he  hardly  knew  wliat 
to  do  with  himself.  His  Sabbaths,  which  had  been  so  lights 
were  now  dark  and  dreary.  His  jieople,  and  all  the  churches 
in  the  city,  as  well  as  his  ministering  brethren,  sympathized 
with  him  in  his  sadness,  and  would,  I  believe,  one  and  all, 
had  it  been  in  their  power,  have  gladly  dispelled  the  gloom 
which  they  saw  settling  down  upon  his  tender  and  sensitive 
heart.  But  that  gloom  is  now  removed,  that  burden  lifted 
by  the  hand  of  God.  A  Sabbath  brighter  than  that  of  earth 
has  dawned  upon  him,  a  temple  not  made  with  hands  is  o})on 
for  his  ascending  spirit.  He  understands  now  as  never  before 
those  precious  words  lie  loved  to  repeat  to  the  weary  and  the 
sorrow-stricken  :  "Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord 
from  henceforth:  Yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  res'^j 
from  their  labors ;  and  their  works  do  follow  them." 

Of  my  personal  relations  with  Dr.  Stow  I  scarcely  dare 
trust  myself  to  speak.  We  have  been  acquainted  from  our 
college  days.  We  have  been  settled  as  pastors  in  tlie  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  each  other.  We  have  met  often  in  the  social 
circle  and  the  religious  meeting.  No  collision  of  feeling,  still 
less  of  words,  ever  occurred  between  us.  We  have  lived  to- 
gether as  brothers,  confiding  and  trustful,  freely  opening  our 
hearts  to  one  another  without  reserve,  and  without  fear  of. 
betrayal.  He  spoke  of  this  in  our  last  interview,  and  left  a 
dying  message  that  I  should  take  part  at  his  funeral.  "  For," 
he  said,  "he  will  speak  a  kind  word  of  me."  Dear  brotlicr, 
what  else  could  I  say?  Those  folded  hands  were  never lifte<i 
but  for  ray  good.  Those  lips,  now  closed  and  silent,  never 
wounded  my  feelings.  I  cannot  repress  my  tears,  standing  as 
I  now  do  over  the  coffin  of  my  life-long  friend.  I  am  dis- 
tressed for  thee,  my  brother ;  very  pleasant  hast  thou  been 
unto  us. 

I  sympathize  with  the  people  of  his  late  charge  in  the  emo- 
tions awakened  in  their  bosoms  by  the  solemnities  of  this  oc- 


ADDKESS    OF   DR.    MURDOCK.  34T 

casion,  and  with  the  youthful  pastor  who  has  recently  entereil 
upon  his  new  position,  made  the  more  responsible  and  sacred 
by  the  death  of  his  revered  predecessor. 

It  will  not  be  considered,  I  am  sure,  assuming,  if  I  say  a 
word  to  my  brethren  in  the  ministry,  standing  as  I  do  among 
you,  of  my  early  associates  in  the  sacred  office,  almost  alone. 
How  obvious  and  how  impressive  to  us  are  the  lessons  of  this 
hour!  What  are  admiring  assemblies  and  human  applaus^e? 
There  is  no  source  of  liope  or  of  present  comfort  on  which  we 
can  safely  rest,  aside  from  the  favor  of  God,  and  the  sweet 
consciousness  of  having  endeavored  to  do  our  duty.  Let  us, 
in  this  solemn  and  instructive  presence,  dedicate  ourselves 
anew  to  Christ  and  his  cross,  and  so  preach  and  so  live,  that, 
when  summoned  hence,  we  may  hear  the  voice  of  divine  ap- 
proval, which,  I  doubt  not,  has  already  cheered  the  heart  of 
our  departed  brother,  — 

"  Servant  of  God,  well  clone ; 

Rest  from  thy  loved  employ; 
The  battle  fouglit,  the  victory  won, 
Enter  thy  Master's  joy." 

Address  of  Rev.  J.  N.  Murdock,  D.  D. 

I  seem  to  be  standing  to-day  as  in  a  dream,  and  the  vision 
is  mixed.  On  a  bright,  autunnial  Sabbath  morning,  I  am  sit- 
ting in  the  old  Baldwin  Place  Church,  one  of  a  crowded  au- 
dience, drawn  there  by  the  fame  of  the  most  po])ular  Baptist 
preacher  in  the  United  States.  The  preacher  is  in  the  prime 
of  life.  His  massive  and  sinewy  frame,  his  striking  and  beau- 
tiful countenance,  the  large,  lustrous  dark  eye,  the  open  brow, 
the  compressed  lips,  the  eagle  front,  the  raven  haii-,  altogether 
are  well  fitted  to  arrest  attention  and  excite  interest.  He 
speaks,  and  the  deep  bass  of  that  marvellous  voice  lloats  over 
the  great  throng,  and  fills  every  part  of  the  house  with  its 
witchery.  The  sermon  is  finished  with  careful  elaboration, 
but  the  hearer  is  most  impressed  with  its  intensely  practical 
character,  and  the  deejD  earnestness  of  the  preacher. 


348  MEMOIK   OF   DE.    STOW. 

The  scene  is  clianged.  Twenty-six  years  and  more  have 
jaassecl,  and  I  am  again  in  the  liouse  of  God ;  but  it  is  not  the 
same.  Here,  too,  is  the  vast  concourse,  but  much  changed 
from  that  earUer  time.  Many,  O,  liow  many,  of  that  congre- 
gation are  in  another  assembly  to-day !  Tlie  preacher  is  also 
here.  But  the  noble  form  is  prostrate,  not  erect,  as  then ;  the 
imperial  brow  is  marble,  not  flushed  with  feeling,  as  then ; 
there  is  no  breath  in  the  nostrils ;  the  wondrous  light  has 
gone  out  of  the  eyes,  and  the  lips  that  dropped  wisdom  and 
distilled  sweetness  are  mute.  I  look  upon  him,  but  the 
quick  glow  of  recognition  lights  not  his  countenance  as  it 
has  never  failed  to  do  since  that  first  hour  in  which  I  saw 
and  heard  him.  No,  the  vision  deceives  us  —  this  is  not 
he.  He  has  passed  on  to  that  other  assembly,  of  which  I 
have  spoken,  and  there  are  more  there  to  greet  him  with  a 
heavenly  welcome  than  are  left  here  to  mourn  his  loss.  He 
is  gone ;  and  we  have  come  here,  a  vast  concourse,  to  honor 
his  dear  remains,  to  sing  our  dirges,  to  commemorate  him 
in  a  few  tributary  words,  and  leave  our  flowing  tears  to  ex- 
press what  our  poor  words  never  can. 

In  1846  Dr.  Stow  penned  these  emphatic  words :  "  The 
spirit  of  missions  is  the  spirit  of  concord.  The  key-note 
was  struck  on  the  plains  of  Bethlehem,  and  all  who  have 
sympathy  with  the  angelic  announcement  are  sure  to  think, 
feel,  speak,  and  act  in  concert  both  with  the  heavenly  host 
and  with  each  other." 

How  far  the  life-long  devotion  of  the  wi'iter  of  these 
words  to  the  cause  of  Christian  missions,  which  has  been 
so  fitly  commemorated  by  my  associate,  contributed  to  form 
those  sentiments  of  Christian  brotherhood  which  lie  aimed 
to  vindicate  and  illustrate  by  his  pen  and  in  his  life,  this  is 
neither  the  time  nor  the  place  to  inquire.  ISTor  need  we  ask 
'  to-day  in  what  manner  or  to  what  extent  his  large  Christian 
sympathies  excited  his  devotion  to  the  work  of  universal 
evangelization.  But  of  one  thing  we  maybe  sure  :  he  never 
would  have  pursued  the  great  enterprise  to  which  he  gav  j 
the  best  energies  of  his  mind  and  heart  with  such  constancy 


ADDRESS    OP     DK.    MUKDOCK  349 

and  devotion,  had  he  breu  less  cosmopolitan  in  his  Christian 
spirit.  He  was  zealous,  not  so  much  for  the  growth  of  Ji 
sect,  as  for  the  spread  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  ;  not  merely 
for  the  success  of  a  peculiar  ibrm  of  church  polity,  but  tor 
the  enlargement  of  Christian  charily.  lie  aimed  at  no  party 
triumph,  but  at  the  renovation  of  all  men,  an<l  the  diffusion 
of  love  and  good-will  tlu-oughout  the  world.  Rarely,  if  ever, 
'yas  his  voice  heard  among  the  dis})utes  of  this  world.  'He 
shrank  from  controversy,  and  held  himself  aloof  from  ])olemi- 
cal  strife.  So  marked  lias  been  his  entire  coiu-se  in  this  re- 
spect, that  those  avIio  knew  not  the  de])thof  his  |)ersonal  con- 
victions, and  the  loyal  spirit  that  animated  him,  have  some- 
times regarded  him  as  timid,  if  not  lax,  in  his  (h-votion  to  his 
professed  principles. 

Yet,  in  i)oint  of  fact,  his  theology  was  of  the  strictest  ev.in- 
gelical  type.  He  held  strongly  to  the  moderate,  perha])S  I 
ought  to  say  the  real,  Calvinism  of  Fuller,  and  the  better  class 
of  the  New  England  school,  as  generally  embodied  in  the  con- 
fessions of  our  churches.  He  was,  moreover,  a  Baptist,  stand- 
ing by  the  peculiar  views  of  the  denomination  as  to  the  scrip- 
tural subjects  and  mode  of  baptism,  and  maintaining  them  in 
all  their  length  and  breadth  with  well-defined  clearness  and 
inflexible  tenacity.  And  as  to  timidity,  there  was  a  spirit  in 
this  man  that  Avould  have  carried  him  to  the  stake,  and 
crowned  him  Tvith  the  glory  of  martyrdom,  for  an  iota  of 
scriptura'  truth,  had  he  been  asked  to  deny  or  renounce  it  —  in 
the  true  spirit  of  that  gentle  saint  of  the  olden  time,  who,  on 
the  way  to  the  stake,  declared,  "  1  cannot  contend  for  Christ, 
but  I  can  die  for  him."  Even  in  the  denunciation  of  sin  he 
could  not,  as  he  expressed  it,  "  add  his  wrath  to  the  wrath  of 
God;"  but  when  hollow  pretence  was  to  be  exposed,  when 
greed  was  to  be  scouted,  when  imi-haritableness  was  to  be  re- 
buked, when  any  vice,  having  its  roots  in  the  selfishness  and 
corrujjtion  of  human  nature,  require;!  condeiiinn  ion,  the  sword 
of  the  Spirit  came  flashing  and  ringing  liom  his  tongue  on 
the  head  of  oflence  and  offender.  The  inl)orn  integrity  of  his 
soul,  as  well  as  his  loyalty  to  Chi;st,  made  it    impossible  for 


350  MEMOIR   OF    DR.    STOW. 

him  to  be  silent  in  cases  where  the  Word  of  God  denounced 
condemnation.  It  was  the  exceeding  breadth  of  his  charac- 
ter, and  not  his  Lick  of  manUness;  the  generosity  of  his  spirit, 
and  not  the  selfish  ])rudence  of  his  nature ;  the  fear  lest  he 
might,  by  some  unguarded  word,  offend  Christ's  little  ones, 
and  not  an  excessive  care  for  his  own  I'eputation  ;  his  quick 
and  sensitive  conscientiousness,  and  not  a  time-serving  tem- 
per, that  conspired  to  make  him  so  circumspect  and  meas- 
ured in  his  treatment  of  those  differences  which  existed  be- 
tween him  and  his  Christian  bretln-en  of  other  names.  The 
candid  observer  of  Dr.  Stow's  public  character  must  have  been 
impressed  with  the  generously  catholic  spirit  Avhich  inspired 
him,  and  the  broad  charity  w^hich  enlisted  his  sympathies  and 
controlled  his  utterances.  He  judged  no  man,  least  of  all 
condemned  no  man,  for  a  course  different  from  that  which  he 
liad  prescribed  for  himself.  Always  loyal  to  the  traditions  of 
his  people,  he  held  firmly  and  consistently  to  the  great  semi- 
nal principle  of  our  corporate  and  public  life,  the  idea  of  free- 
dom of  thought,  in  the  absence  of  which  opinion  becomes 
simply  automatic,  and  not  personal.  His  soul  was  baptized 
into  the  plenitude  of  the  sentiment  expressed  in  Melanchthon's 
celebrated  aphorism,  "  In  essentials,  unity ;  in  non-essentials, 
liberty;  in  all  things,  charity." 

And  so  it  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  our  departed  friend  and 
brother  to  pursue  the  work  of  the  ministry  amid  the  sharp  an- 
tagonisms of  the  time,  for  more  than  forty  years,  respected 
and  loved  by  Christians  of  other  persuasions ;  respected  for 
the  firmness  with  which  he  has  maintained  his  denominational 
tenets,  and  loved  for  the  gentleness  of  his  bearing  and  the 
benignity  of  his  character. 

A  great  man  and  a  j^rince  in  Israel  has  fallen.  Dr.  Stow 
was  something  more,  something  better,  than  a  brilliant  genius 
or  a  profound  intellect.  He  was  great  in  his  moral  staLure, 
in  the  probity  of  his  nature,  in  the  purity  of  his  life,  and  in 
the  circumspectness  of  his  conduct.  What  he  wrote  and  pub- 
lished in  various  volumes,  as  well  as  in  tiie  periodical  press, 
has  contributed  somewhat,  as  we  may  well  believe,  to  the 


ADDRESS    OF   DK.    MUKDOCK.  351 

religious  inspiration  and  progress  of  his  time  ;  but  wliat  he  was 
has  been  more  pregnant  with  power  than  anything  liis  pen 
has  produced.  He  was  a  Hving  e])istle,  read  and  known  of 
men.  And  the  grand  voUinie  of  character  which  his  hfe  un- 
fokled,  and  his  death  completed,  may  be  studied  with  advan- 
tage, nay,  will  be  studied,  by  generations  to  come.  It  is 
unique,  individual,  strongly  marked;  never  will  it  disappear 
from  sight  in  tlie  confusion  of  the  common  mass.  Nor  can 
the  closing  chai)ters  be  marred  by  any  weakness  or  imperfec- 
tion now.  It  was  the  remark  of  a  friendly  critic  during  tlie 
almost  frantic  effort  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  in  his  last  days,  to 
retrieve  his  pecuniary  fortunes  by  producing  books  for  the 
sake  of  the  copyrights  they  yielded  —  "  Scott  wrote  himself  up 
irrandly  ;  it  were  a  mercy  for  him  to  die  before  he  writes  him- 
self down."  This  benignant,  just,  honorable  character  is  at 
least  secure  against  the  chance  of  future  failure.  The  past  is 
secure.  The  able  preacher,  the  faithful  pastor,  the  public- 
spirited  benefactor,  the  wise  counsellor,  the  upright  man,  the 
constant  friend,  —  these  are  henceforth  as  fixed  in  our  memo- 
ries as  they  have  been  dear  to  our  hearts. 

Dr.  Stow  will  be  mourned  not  alone  by  this  community, 
where  he  has  spent  the  larger  portion  of  his  life,  and  which 
he  has  served  in  so  many  ways ;  not  alone  by  his  own  denom- 
ination, to  whose  prosperity  in  all  the  elements  of  real  growth 
he  has  devoted  his  best  energies,  but  throughout  the  land, 
and  by  all  who  revere  goodness  and  prize  integrity  of  heart. 
His  name  has  gone  out  through  the  land  as  a  symbol  of 
strength,  and  his  death  will  cause  a  pang  to  all  lovers  of  good 
men.  O,  how  his  presence  will  be  missed,  and  in  how  many 
spheres  of  Christian  efibrt !  That  committee-room,  where,  for 
thirty-seven  years,  his  visits  have  been  as  constant  as  the  suc- 
cession of  the  weeks  —  what  a  void  will  be  there !  And  the 
council  boards  of  our  seats  of  learning,  where  he  so  long  pre- 
sided, and  helped  so  largely  to  shape  the  policies  which  have 
begun  to  lead  us  to  highei^-  planes  of  culture,  and  larger  meas- 
ures of  efficiency  —  who  shall  sui)ply  his  place  there  ?  And 
that  desolated  home.     But  we  may  not  invade  the  privacy 


352  MEMOIR    OF   DR.    STOW. 

of  this  great  sorrow.  We  shall  miss  him,  but  he  will  rejoico 
in  a  sense  of  completeness  he  never  knew  till  now.  We 
shall  mourn  him,  but  he  is  Avhere  all  tears  are  wiped  from  the 
eyes.  He  has  laid  down  his  burden ;  the  things  that  grieved 
him  p-rieve  him  no  more;  the  night  of  his  distress  has  passed, 
and  the  brightness  of  unclouded  morning  shines  ai'ound  him. 
No  weariness,  no  heaviness,  no  distress,  no  aching  heart,  no 
throbbing  brain,  but  rest  and  j^eace  are  his  forever. 

"  The  poace  of  all  the  faithful,  the  calm  of  all  the  blest, 
Inviolate,  unvaried,  divinest,  sweetest,  best; 

Yes,  peace  —  for  strife  is  needless  ;  yes,  calm  — ■  for  storm  is  past, 
And  goal  from  finished  labor,  and  anchorage  at  last." 

On  the  arrival  of  the  funeral  procession  at  Mount  Auburn, 
a  quartet,  under  the  direction  of  General  B.  F.  Edmands, 
the  chorister  of  the  Baldwin  Place  Church  during  the  whole 
of  Dr.  Stow's  ministry  with  this  church,  sang  the  following 
beautiful  requiem :  — 

Once  more  the  spot  with  solemn  awe  we  tread 
Where  sleep  the  relics  of  our  kindred  dead ; 
Chant  we  our  requiem  mournfully,  and  slow, 
While  our  sad  tears  above  their  ashes  flow. 

Memories,  bright  memories  of  each  hallowed  name, 

Wake  in  our  hearts  pure  love's  undying  flame ; 

Yet  must  we  leave  them  —  leave  them  here  to  rest; 

Green  be  the  turf  above  each  noble  breast. 

This  place  to  us  is  consecrated  ground, 
Where  holy,  solemn  quiet  reigns  around; 
No  more  can  pain,  or  grief,  or  anxious  care 
Reach  or  disturb  our  mourned  brother  here. 

Memories,  bright  memories  of  his  cherished  name, 

Leave  in  our  hearts  pure  love's  undying  flame; 

Yet  must  we  leave  him  —  leave  him  here  to  rest; 

Green  be  the  sod  above  his  noble  breast. 

Prayer  was  then  offered  by  Dr.  Neale,  and  the  tender 
words  of  the  hymn,  "  Unveil  thy  bosom,  fliithful  tomb,"  hav- 
ing been  sung,  the  mourners  departed  from  the  hallowed 
Bpot  in  which  the  sleeper  was  laid  away  to  his  final  rest. 


PRESIDENT  Anderson's  letter.  353 

From  the  immerous  letters  addressed  to  his  bereaved  family 
we  select  four,  which  were  written  by  warm  ])ersonal  friends 
of  Dr.  Stow,  giving  us  a  charming  portraiture  of  his  chai'acter, 
upon  which  we  gaze  with  peculiar  delight.  These  letters 
were  written  by  President  M.  B.  Anderson,  LL.  D.,  of  Roch- 
ester, N.  Y.,  Rev.  William  Dean,  D.  D.,  of  Bangkok,  Si.im, 
Rev.  Richard  Fuller,  D.  D.,  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  Rev. 
Barnas  Sears,  D.  D.,  of  Staunton,  Va. 

From  Rev.  Dr.  Anderson. 

Rochester,  February'  8,  1870. 

My  dear  Mrs.  Stow  :  Mrs.  Dean,  who  has  lately  returned 
from  Boston,  has  given  me  some  of  the  particulars  of  the  last 
hours  of  your  husband.  This  brought  up  before  my  mind  all 
his  early  and  late  kindness  to  me,  and  all  those  excellences 
of  mind  and  heart  which  have  always  kept  him  before  my 
mind  as  the  noblest  ty])e  that  I  have  ever  met  of  the  "  good 
minister  of  Jesus  Christ."  I  was  indebted  to  him  and  to  you 
for  recognition  and  kindness  when  I  was  young  and  unknown, 
and  wdien  I  was  a  weak  and  almost  discouraged  invalid.  As 
one  of  the  Fellow^s  of  Brown  University,  he  came  to  this  city 
to  make  me  the  offer  of  promotion,  which,  I  knew,  had  been  in 
great  part  due  to  his  partial  kindness.  These  recollections  are 
personal  to  myself,  and  till  a  larger  place  in  my  mind  and  heart 
than  those  elements  of  character  and  intellect  by  which  he  was 
made  known  to  the  world  at  large,  and  by  which  he  mads 
his  impression  on  his  age  as  a  public  man.  Of  these  ele- 
ments, that  which  first  occurs  to  me  is  his  breadth  au'd 
elegance  of  culture.  He  had  an  almost  shrinking  delicacy 
of  organization,  which,  while  it  made  him  susceptible  to  all 
beautiful  and  holy  impressions,  was,  at  the  same  time,  the 
source  of  acute  suffering  in  all  the  rude  jostling  of  the  hard 
and  unfeeling  world.  But  though  he  suffered  from  his  or- 
ganization, how  gentle,  how  considerate  of  others,  how  kind- 
ly did  it  make  liis  relations  with  all  who  were  blessed  with 
his  affection,  or  honored  by  his  friendsliip ! 

This  delicacy  of  taste  and  kindness  of  nature  obscured,  to 
23 


354  MEMOIR   OF    DR.    STOW. 

some  extent,  the  grasp  and  range  of  his  intellect.  Had  hf 
been  coarser  and  harder  in  his  moral  constitution,  he  would 
have  made  deeper  impression  upon  the  multitude.  But  all 
this  would  have  been  i^urchased  at  the  expense  of  that  rounded 
fullness  and  beauty  of  Christian  character  which  gave  him 
such  power  over  those  whom  he  took  to  his  heart.  My  own 
impression  has  always  been,  that  in  the  qualities  of  mind  and 
character  which  make  up  the  model  pastor,  he  stood  alone  in 
excellence.  I  am  not  able  to  do  justice  to  an  analysis  of  his 
intellect.  My  knowledge  of  him  has  been  almost  confined  to 
the  points  of  his  life  and  being  of  Avhich,  above  all  others,  you 
have  had  the  richest  experience.  I  beg  leave  to  tender  you 
and  your  dear  daugliter  my  most  respectful  sympathy,  and  to 
assure  you  both  of  my  remembrance  and  j^rayers. 

Yours  truly, 

M.  B.  Anderson. 

From  Rev.  Dr.  Dean. 

Bangkok,  Siam,  March  9,  1870. 
My  dear  Mrs.  Stow  :  I  need  not  express  my  love  and 
veneration  for  the  departed  one.  You  already  know  that  I 
felt  for  him  as  for  a  brother ;  yea,  more  than  a  brother.  He 
was  my  ideal  of  a  Christian  gentleman.  He  came  as  near  a 
perfect  man  as  any  one  I  ever  knew.  As  a  man,  a  friend,  a 
minister,  he  was  a  model.  What  he  was  as  a  husband  and 
a  father,  you  and  Matilda  can  better  tell ;  but  I  know  enough 
to  think  that  in  those  relations  it  would  be  difficult  to  find 
his  equal.  Your  loss  is  great,  but  his  gain  is  greater.  He  is 
now  free  from  jDain,  and  tears,  and  anxious  care,  and  every  sor- 
row. Nothing  to  disturb  or  distress  him  now.  He  is  com- 
pletely and  forever  happy  with  that  Saviour  who  alone  is  able 
to  bind  up  your  bleeding  hearts.  I  commend  you  to  that 
heavenly  Friend,  Avho  holds  in  his  bosom  the  loved  one  gone 
before  you,  and  who  is  waiting  to  fold  you  also  to  his  loving 
embrace. 

Most  affectionately  yours, 

W.  Dean. 


DK.  fuller's  letter.  355 

From  Rev.  Dr.  Fuller. 

Baltimore,  July  7,  1870. 

Miss  Stow  :  I  am  bappy  to  hear  by  your  kind  note 
that  the  Memoir  is  almost  ready  for  the  press.  I  felt  your 
father's  death  as  a  personal  bereavement,  and  as  a  great  pub- 
lic loss. 

I  need  say  nothing  of  liis  intellectual  endowments ;  of  his 
literary  and  scholarly  accomplishments  ;  of  his  remarkable 
power  as  a  preacher;  of  his  surpassing  and  invaluable  talent 
for  that  sort  of  business  which  tlie  affairs  of  Christ's  kingdom 
impose  upon  a  city  pastor;  of  the  faithfulness  and  tenderness 
with  which  he  fed  and  tended  the  flock  of  Jesus ;  of  his  pro- 
found and  yet  most  simple  and  evangelical  system  of  gospel 
truth ;  or  of  his  deep,  all-pervading,  all-controlling  personal 
piety.  I  never  knew  a  human  being  who  seemed  to  me  to 
have  throned  the  Redeemer  more  entirely  and  practically  over 
his  mind,  conscience,  heart,  and  life ;  and  I  need  not  speak  of 
these  attributes,  because  they  were  and  are  everywhere  ac- 
knowledged and  admired. 

But  there  were  two  traits  in  Dr.  Stow's  character  which 
every  day  grow  in  my  esteem,  because  I  every  day  see  how 
rare  they  are.  The  first  was  his  perfect  candor.  No  matter 
how  dear  any  one  might  be  to  him,  he  was  always  scrupulous- 
ly sincere.  I  do  not  believe  he  ever  feared  the  face  of  man, 
or  ever  uttered  a  single  word  of  flattery.  The  other  excel- 
lence was  his  rigid,  unswerving  adherence  to  truth,  always  and 
in  all  things.  This  latter  quality  may,  by  many,  be  regarded 
as,  after  all,  no  exalted  distinction ;  but  those  who  think  thus 
know  little  of  the  v/orld,  the  church,  or  themselves.  Each 
year  of  my  life  teaches  me  that  to  strict  veracity  we  may  ap- 
ply what  Jesus  says  of  fliith,  and  ask.  When  the  Son  of  Man 
Cometh,  will  he  find  truth  upon  the  earth  ?  One  of  the  pur- 
est and  most  honorable  men  I  ever  knew  remarl^ed  that  his 
"  besetting  sin  was  lying."  It  was  a  confession  which  none 
but  a  most  conscientious  person  would  ever  make  ;  and  every 
conscientious  person  comprehends  him,  understands  what  cir- 
cumspection and  grace  it  requires  in  conversation,  in  business, 


356  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

in  speaking  of  men  and  things,  never  to  allow  any  ambiguity 
of  thought,  word,  or  action;  never  to  permit  passion  or  preju- 
dice to  sway  us  one  hair's  breadth  from  perfect  singleness  of 
purpose;  always  to  hold  fast  our  integrity,  and  to  move,  and 
live,  and  have  our  being  under  the  searching  inspection  of  t\u- 
eye  of  God.  In  this  element  of  nobleness  my  beloved  brother 
exemplified  the  character  of  Jesus.  He  combined  the  under- 
standing of  the  man  with  the  guileless  simplicity  of  a  child. 
At  this  time  especially  his  death  is  a  lamentable  calamity. 
Although  the  war  has  long  closed,  yet  civil  war  always  leaves 
behind  it,  rooted  in  the  very  structure  of  society,  interwoven 
with  all  the  ramifications  of  thought,  feeling,  interest  in  a  state, 
the  most  baleful  evils.  The  animosities  and  exasperations 
which  stir  continue  to  afflict  our  beloved  country  can  never 
be  healed  by  politicians.  The  gospel  is  the  only  remedy. 
And,  as  few  ministers  possessed  so  much  of  the  spirit  of  Jesus 
as  my  brother,  so  no  one  was  more  anxious,  by  prayer  and 
kindly  mediation,  to  remove  "  all  bitterness,  and  wrath,  and 
anger,  and  clamor,  and  evil  speaking,  with  all  malice,"  and  to 
restore  the  good  old  times,  when,  north,  south,  east,  west, 
Christians  should  be  "kind  one  to  another,  tender-hearted, 
forgiving  one  another,  even  as  God  for  Christ's  sake  hath  for- 
given them." 

Personally  we  have  long  been  warm  and  devoted  friends 
and  brothers.  If,  during  the  war,  there  was  some  chill  of  love 
between  us,  nothing  could  ever  abate  my  affectionate  rever- 
ence for  his  virtue ;  and  he  never  met  me  more  warmly,  and 
opened  his  soul  more  fraternally  to  me,  than  he  did  the  first 
time  we  met  after  hostilities  had  ceased.  During  my  last 
confidential  interview  with  him  at  Jamaica  Plain,  I  was 
moved  beyond  measure  as  he  unbosomed  himself  to  me,  as  I 
perceived  "the  sorrow  which  was  weighing  upon  his  spirits, 
and  yet  witnessed  the  faith,  firmness,  purity,  gentleness, 
mildness,  which  hallowed  his  parting  days,  raising  his  affeO' 
tions  above  the  earth,  and  fixing  them  upon  heaven. 
Very  sincerely,  my  dear  Miss  Stow, 

K.  Fuller. 


DR.    SEARS'S    LETTER.  357 

From  Rev.  Dr.  Sears. 

Staunton,  Va.,  September  1,  1870. 

31r  DEAR  Mrs.  Stow  :  It  gives  me  pleasure,  though  not 
unmingled  with  sadness,  to  comply  with  your  request,  and 
furnish  some  personal  recollections  of  your  late  excellent  hus- 
hand.  lie  was  one  of  my  oldest,  warmest,  truest,  and  best 
liiends.  Few  deaths  outside  of  my  family  circle  would  be 
more  sensibly  felt  by  me.  I  formed  his  acquaintance  in 
1825,  at  the  house  of  the  late  Hon.  Ileman  Lincoln,  whose 
guests  we  were,  and  whose  cordial  friendship  we  both  enjoyed 
ever  after.  I  recollect  distinctly  our  first  interview,  and  even 
the  first  topic  of  our  conversation.  It  related  to  the  qualifi- 
cations of  James  D.  Knowles,  then  editor  of  the  Columbian 
Star,  j)ublished  in  Washington,  for  the  professorship  of  ora- 
tory and  belles-lettres  at  Brown  University.  We  were  then 
fresh  graduates  from  our  respective  colleges,  and  naturally 
felt  our  great  responsibilities.  Still  it  Avas  hardly  proper  for 
ns  to  make  any  movement  as  long  as  the  Hon.  Tristam 
Burgess  held  that  position.  The  vacancy  finally  occurred, 
and  the  corporation,  without  consulting  us,  appointed  William 
<T.  Goddard. 

During  the  first  ten  years  of  our  acquaintance,  our  inter- 
course was  limited,  as  we  resided  in  different  states;  but  from 
the  time  of  his  removal  to  Boston,  and  mine  to  Newton,  our 
intimacy  was  close,  and  continued  uninterrupted  to  the  last. 
By  means  of  these  changes.  Dr.  Stow  became  the  successor 
of  Mr.  Knowles  as  pastor,  and  I  his  associate  as  professor. 
Wiien  it  was  decided  to  establish  the  Christian  Review  as  a 
Bajitist  quarterly.  Professor  Knowles  was  appointed  its  first 
editor,  and  Dr.  Stow  and  myself  afterwards  became  contrib- 
utors. When  the  Review  languished  for  want  of  patronage, 
it.  was  at  the  instance  of  Dr.  Stow  that  I  went  south,  as  far 
as  Riclnnond  and  Norfolk,  to  take  measures  for  increasing  its 
circulation  beyond  the  boundaries  of  New  England.  The 
ol»ject  was  accomplished,  and  the  Review  from  that  time  con- 
tinued ])rosperous  till  the  sudden  death  of  its  editor,  in  1838. 
The  next  number  was  issued  by  Dr.  Stow  and  myself,  in 


858  MEMOIR   OF   DE.    STOW. 

which  the  fonner  paid  a  suitable  tribute  to  the  memory  of  his 
early  and  intimate  friend.  He  then  proposed  that  I  should 
assume  the  editorship,  relying  on  him  as  one  of  the  regular 
contributors.  He  was  at  the  same  time  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee of  publication.  As  it  became  necessary,  in  the  course 
of  time,  to  be  relieved  of  some  of  my  duties,  I  thought  it  best 
to  withdraw  from  my  position  as  editor.  To  my  letter  of 
resignation  Dr.  Stow  wrote  the  following  reply  :  — 

Boston,   September  28,   1840. 

My  dear  Brother  :  I  have  this  morning  laid  before  the 
committee  of  the  Christian  Keview  your  resignation  of  the 
office  of  editor.  They  agree  with  you  that  the  duties  of  your 
important  professorship  are  quite  enough  for  any  one  man, 
and  that  it  is  exceedingly  desirable  that  you  should  be  able 
to  give  yourself  exclusively  to  those  duties.  They  also  agree 
with  you  that  one  man  ought  to  give  his  whole  energies  to 
the  conducting  of  the  Christian  Review.  But,  alas !  we  are 
exceedingly  deficient  in  men  suited  to  responsible  position.s 
and  every  man  who  is  worth  much  in  our  denomination  is 
obliged  to  perform  for  the  present  the  labor  of  two,  and  even 
three,  fondly  hoping  that  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  will  yet 
multiply  laborers,  and  bring  relief  to  those  who  are  sinking 
under  accumulated  burdens. 

The  committee,  in  consulting  with  the  publishers,  w^ere  in- 
formed that  probably  you  might  be  induced  to  continue  your 
labors  as  editor,  at  least  another  year,  provided  some  arrange- 
ment could  be  made  to  reduce  the  amount  of  labor  and  re- 
sponsibility. If  you  could  associate  one  or  two  with  you  in 
the  service,  in  whom  you  may  have  confidence,  and  thus  di- 
vide the  severities  of  the  office,  while  you  should  yourself 
retain  the  ultimate  and  authoritative  supervision,  the  arrange- 
ment would  be  satisfactory  to  the  committee,  and,  we  pre- 
sume, to  the  public.  Are  you  willing  to  negotiate,  upon  these 
terms,  for  a  continuance  in  the  office  ? 

Let  me  entreat  you  to  reconsider  the  decision  to  which  you 
have  come,  and  not  to  settle  the  matter  definitively  without 


DU.    STOW'S    INTEKEST    IX    MISSIONS    AND   EDUCATION.     339 

further  conversation  Avitli  tlie  committee.     You  will  probublj 

be  in  the  city  next  Monday,  Mlien,  if  convenient  to  yourself, 

I  should  like  an  inter\iew  upon  this  very  important  subject. 

Your  companion  in  the  kingdom,  and  patience,  &c., 

Baron  Stow. 

The  Baptist  Triennial  Convention  for  Foreign  Missions 
was,  at  the  time  of  its  dissolution,  in  debt  to  the  amount  of 
forty  thousand  dollars,  and  Dr.  Stow  and  mj'self  were  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  make  up  this  deficiency.  I  soon  saw 
the  advantage  of  having  such  an  associate.  Nothing  contrib- 
uted more  to  our  success  than  his  i)ersonal  popularity. 

Some  years  afterwards,  several  causes  were  in  operation  to 
embarrass  and  discourage  the  friends  of  ministerial  education. 
In  some  quarters,  Avhere  it  was  least  to  be  expected,  education 
societies  and  theological  institutions  were  spoken  of  in  dis- 
paraging terms.  From  a  Acry  different  source  also,  charac- 
terized by  a  lack  of  intelligence  and  public  spirit,  came  grave 
expressions  of  doubt  as  to  the  ex}jediency  of  training  learned 
men  for  the  ministry.  The  people  were  easily  persuaded  to 
withhold  their  contributions.  At  this  crisis  Dr.  Stow  came 
forward  with  great  earnestness  and  zeal,  and  rallied  around 
him  the  friends  of  this  important  but  declining  interest.  The 
churches  hardly  know  how  much  they  are  indebted  to  his 
efforts  for  the  high  qualifications  of  the  ministers  whose  set- 
vices  they  now  enjoy.  I  recci\"cd  from  him  the  tAvo  follow- 
ing letters  on  this  subject :  — 

Boston,  .Tune  3,  1844. 
My  dear  Brother  :  I  take  it  for  granted  that  you  are 
not  ignorant  of  the  condition  of  the  Northern  Baptist  Educa- 
tion Society,  or  of  the  evils  by  which  its  operations  are  em- 
barrassed —  external  evils  that  obstruct  its  progress,  inter- 
nal evils  that  cripple  its  activity.  As  my  brethren,  who,  fe 
judice,  know  how  to  impose  Pelion  upon  Ossa,  have  laid  u])on 
me  the  responsibility  of  presiding  over  this  society,  I  am  dis- 
posed to  make  an  effort  to  remedy  some  of  these  evils,  and 


360  MEMOIR   OF   DR.    STOW. 

to  infuse  into  the  institution  some  new  elements  of  life  and 
energy.  In  forming  my  plans,  I  feel  the  need  of  coiinsel,  and 
I  know  of  no  one  to  whom  I  can  apply  with  greater  confidence 
tlian  to  yourself 

Reserving  some  points  for  a  private  interview,  I  now  pro- 
l>ose  only  one  for  your  consideration ;  and  that  is,  the  ex- 
pediency of  inviting  a  conference  of  judicious  brethren  from 
all  the  New  England  States  for  the  purpose  of  comparing 
views  with  respect  to  the  subject  of  ministerial  education, 
and,  by  a  concentration  of  wisdom,  endeavoring  to  agree 
upon  some  principles  in  accordance  with  which  we  may 
direct  our  combined  and  harmonious  efforts.  The  general 
question  should  be,  W/iat  can  he  done  to  increase  the  2?otoer 
of  our  tninistry?  I  need  not  prove  to  you  that  our  ministry 
needs  strengthening,  or  that  causes  are  in  operation  which 
threaten  to  carry  still  farther  the  deteriorating  j^rocess.  Un- 
less something  is  soon  and  efficiently  done  to  arrest  that 
process,  our  denominational  interests,  in  all  their  departments, 
will  suffer.      We  must  have  more  power  in  our  p>uJpit, 

In  this  conviction  you  and  I  are  not  alone.  But  standing 
a]:)art  and  complaining  of  the  evil,  or  acting  without  concert, 
will  2>i"ovide  no  effectual  remedy.  We  need  a  mutual  under- 
standing of  the  causes  and  the  nature  of  the  evil,  and  of  the 
means  by  Avhich  it  may  be  cured.  How  can  we  better  reach 
tliis  desirable  point  than  by  the  mode  which  I  have  suggested  ? 

I  do  not  proj^ose  to  call  a  "  mass  meeting,"  but  to  invite 
privately  a  meeting  of  some  fifteen  or  twenty  pastors,  and 
several  of  the  officers  of  our  theological  institutions,  colleges, 
and  academies,  and  perhaps  a  few  laymen,  that  they  may 
leisurely,  fully,  and  prayerfully  consider  the  whole  subject,  and 
come  to  agreement  as  to  the  course  proper  to  be  pursued. 

Can  you  suggest  anything  better,  as  a  first  stejy,  than  such 
an  interview '?  Allow  me  respectfully  to  solicit  a  frank  ex- 
jiression  of  your  opinion. 

Affectionally  your  brother  and  fellow-laborer, 

Baron  Stow. 

Rev.  Dr.  Sears. 


KORTHERN    BAPTIST    EDUCATION    SOCIETY.  SGI 

Boston,  June  10,  1844. 

My  dear  Brother  :  Your  favor  of  the  4th  was  received. 
As  I  may  not  have  an  o])portunity  to  sec  yon  at  ])rcscnt,  I 
beg  leave  to  say  that  my  ohject  in  writing  you  as  I  did  was 
not  to  obtain  your  oj)inion  as  to  tlie  condition  and  jtolicy  of 
the  Northern  Baptist  Education  Society,  but  simply  to  ascer- 
tain your  views  touching  the  expediency  of  inviting  such  a 
conference  as  I  proposed.  Nor  do  I  propose  tliat  such  a  con- 
ference, if  called,  shall  be  troubled  with  details  respecting  th(' 
affairs  of  the  Education  Society.  I  have  supposed  it  desirable 
that  judicious  brethren  should  be  brought  together  to  confer 
upon  the  great  question  of  ministerial  education,  and  see  if  there 
could  not  be  produced  a  unity  of  sentiment  and  a  strength 
of  feeling  that  might  lead  to  the  adoption  of  an  harmonious 
and  vigorous  system  of  action.  It  seems  to  me  that  we  are 
not  united  as  it  respects  our  true  policy.  Certainly  there 
is  very  little  cooperation.  The  consequence  is,  that  we  work 
inefficiently,  because  we  work  without  concert.  What  one 
does  another  undoes,  —  without  design,  of  course,  and  yet 
as  effectually  as  if  counteraction  was  the  real  purpose. 

I  dislike  exceedingly  to  proceed  in  this  matter,  for  it  seems 
like  assuming  that  I  am  one  of  the  right  kind  of  ministers, 
and  the  proper  person  to  go  forward  in  an  enterprise  of  re- 
form. But  what  shall  be  done?  If  there  is  another  person 
in  the  land  who  will  imdeitake  the  service,  and  the  brethren 
should  be  disposed  to  cooperate  M^th  him,  I  will  gladly  be 
his  humble  servant.  The  subject  lies  heavily  on  ray  heart, 
and  I  cannot  rest  until  something  is  done  that  promises  good 
to  our  Zion. 

Pardon  me  for  troubling  you  a  second  time.     I  expect  to 
leave  the  city  in  a  few  days,  to  be  absent  some  weeks.     Please 
tliink  of  the  suggestions  which  I  have  made,  and,  when  con- 
venient, we  will  have  an  interview. 
In  haste, 

Yours,  very  fraternally, 

Baron  Stow. 

Rev.  Dr.  Sears. 


3G2  MEMOIR    OF    DR.    STOW. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Missionary  Union,  held  in  Philadel- 
phia in  1858,  an  alarming  state  of  things  in  regard  to  our 
foreign  missions  was  developed.  These  appeared  to  be  a 
general  dissatistaction  both  with  the  home  policy  and  tliC 
foreign  operations  of  the  society.  In  this  unexjiected  crisis, 
when  the  elements  of  opposition  to  the  existing  system  be- 
came too  powerful  to  be  controlled,  a  few  brethren  A^entured 
to  ])ropose  a  new  mode  of  action.  This  modified  system  was 
indeed  imperfect,  having  been  devised  at  the  moment,  with- 
out time  for  elaborating  it ;  but  it  had  this  one  merit  —  it 
saved  the  society  from  dissolution.  The  present  state  of  our 
foreign  missions  grew  out  of  that  movement.  Dr.  Stow,  avIio 
had  been  obliged  to  leave  the  city  before  any  decisive  action 
was  taken,  was,  in  his  absence,  appointed  to  take  an  imjjor- 
tant  part  in  carrying  out  the  new  policy.  His  letters  writ- 
ten to  me  at  that  time  will  be  read  with  interest. 

Boston,  June  5,  I808. 

My  dear  Brother  :  Your  kind  favor  of  the  3d  instant  has 
just  come  to  hand,  and  though  I  am  poorly  prepared  for  to- 
morrow's work,  yet  I  cannot  forbear  to  respond  to  your  fra- 
ternal communication. 

I  was  obliged  to  leave  Philadelphia  on  Thursday  mornings 
at  the  hour  of  the  meeting  of  the  Union.  Dear  old  Mrs. 
Baldwin  was  even  then  twenty-four  hours  dead,  and  I  had  to 
hasten  home  to  attend  her  funeral.  As  I  left,  I  felt  sad. 
Everything  foreshadowed  a  breaking  up,  I  supposed  tliat 
there  would  be  a  revolution.  Little  did  I  apprehend  such  a 
revolution  as  you  and  Dr.  Parker  and  Hon.  Mr.  Duncan  inau- 
gurated. On  Sabbath  morning  Deacon  C.  called,  and  in- 
formed me  of  what  had  been  done.  I  knew  not  how  t(j 
interpret  the  action.  No  one  had  Avhispered  to  me  that  my 
services  might  be  desirable  in  any  department.  I  did  not 
even  dream  that  the  first  man  would  think  of  me  as  foreign 
secretary.     I  had  given  up  the  Union. 

I  have  not  been  able  to  convince  myself  that  any  member 


CALL   TO    THE    SECRETARY'S    CHAIR.  3G3 

of  the  Board  could  suppose  it  probable  that  I  would  leave 
the  pastoral  office  for  any  position,  sacred  or  secular,  in  the 
gift  of  any  organization.  In  a  ministry  of  thirty-one  years,  I 
have  often  been  invited  away  from  my  cliosen  department  of 
labor,  and  I  liave  as  often  resisted  every  inducement  to  vacate 
the  23ulpit  and  pastorate.  Twice  —  in  1835  and  in  1841  —  I 
was  elected  corresponding  secretary  of  the  Triennial  Conven- 
tion, and  in  both  instances  declined  the  appointment  for  the 
sake  of  a  work  to  which  I  regarded  myself  as  called  by  my 
Master.  For  the  last  few  years'!  have  supposed  that  I  might 
be  let  alone,  to  finish  out  the  remnant  of  my  life  as  preacher 
and  pastor. 

Now  a  demand  comes  in  a  new  sliape,  and  under  new, 
wholly  new  circumstances,  Tlie  trial  is  to  me  a  severe  one. 
I  am  constantly  pressed,  orally  and  by  letters,  to  xmdertake 
this  work.  I  see  what  is  to  be  done,  and  how  it  can  be  done, 
and  my  heart  is  in  it ;  but  I  cannot  see  that  my  Master  re- 
quires me  to  venture  into  the  breach,  and  take  hold  of  the 
service.  Yesterday  I  had  made  up  my  mind  that  I  could  not 
accept  the  appointment,  when  Dr.  Warren  called,  and  in- 
formed me  of  what  had  occurred  in  Burmah.  This  intelli- 
gence, so  unexpected,  so  mysterious,  threw  me  back  upon  the 
main  question.  I  am  well  nigh  unmanned  by  the  ])rovidentiai 
bearings  of  this  dispensation.  What  can  it  mean?  Had  this 
news  reached  the  Union  while  in  session,  what  Avould  have 
been  the  action  ?  I  see  now  no  obstacle  in  Burmah  to  the 
easy  and  complete  carrying  out  of  the  lull  purposes  of  the 
Union  and  its  Board.  The  executive  committee  will  now  be 
unembarrassed,  and  will  act  as  a  unit.  I  stand  still  and  adore  I 
No  sooner  had  the  grand  barrier  to  conciliation  and  peace 
been  swept  aAvay  here  at  home  than  the  news  comes  that 
God  has  taken  away  the  principal  barrier  to  conciliation  and 
peace  abroad !  "  Verily  thou  art  a  God  that  hidest  thyself, 
O  God  of  Israel,  the  Saviour." 

I  shall  be  glad  to  hear  further  from  you.  There  is  immedi- 
ate work  for  a  foreign  secretary,  and  I  must  soon  settle  the 
question.     It  is  in  my  heart  to  aid  the  executive  committee  in 


3G4  MEMOIR    OF    DE.    STOW. 

the  adjustment  of  the  machinery  to  the  new  policy ;  but  I  am 
not  convinced  that  I  ought  to  resign  ray  pastorate,  throwing 
aside  all  my  professional  capital,  and  enter,  at  my  age,  a  new 
department  of  service.  Help  me  by  your  counsels  and 
prayers. 

Your  brother  and  fellow-laborer, 

Baeon"  Stow. 

Boston,  June  11,  1858 
My  dear  Beothee  :  Since  I  wrote  you  on  the  5th,  I  have 
been  impelled  by  a  sense  of  duty  to  decline  the  appointment 
of  foreign  secretary,  on  the  ground  that  I  could  not  leave  my 
present  field  of  labor.  The  executive  committee  have  since 
requested  me  to  withdraw  my  declination,  and  consent  to 
render  such  service  as  may  be  compatible  with  my  duties  as 
preacher  and  pastor.  This  presents  the  question  in  a  new 
form;  but  I  hesitate,  for  how  can  I  take  the  additional  bur- 
den ?  Besides,  I  am  pained  by  some  new  elements  that  liave 
appeared.  ...  I  am  oppressed  with  anxiety,  and  really 
need  counsel.  Can  you  find  time  to  write  me  your  thoughts  ? 
.  .  .  We  have  truly  fallen  on  strange  times.  "God  be 
merciful  to  us  sinners." 

Vei-y  fraternally,  &c., 

Baeon  Stow. 

With  all  his  seriousness  and  earnestness,  Dr.  Stow  had  also 
a  vein  of  playful  humor,  which  sometimes  appeared  in  his 
correspondence.  In  a  letter  of  June  29,  18G7,  he  said,  in 
closing,  "  Dr.  Sears,  you  are  rather  hard  upon  your  friend  of 
forty-two  years'  standing.  Always  too  modest !  The  pa*t 
forgiven.  But  future  delinquencies  in  that  line  not  to  be  par- 
doned —  even  by  Andrew  Johnson !  Well,  that  o})ens  for 
me  a  dismal  prospect.  I  am  too  old  to  change  in  that  mat- 
ter ;  and  if  the  only  depreciative  record  of  my  life  be  '  too 
modest,'  I  shall  be  one  of  the  few  guilty.  I  nevertheless  take 
your  hint  for  the  present  emergency." 

Writing  to  me  once  about  the  difficulty  of  securing  varied 


CIIARACTEBISTTC    FEATURES    OF    DR.    STOW.  365 

and  natural  elocution  in  college  performances,  which  in  his 
view  was  very  desirable,  he  said,  somewhat  spicily,  "I  under- 
stand very  well  tliat  when  a  student  lias  labored  much  upon 
his  oration,  and  had  it  cut  down,  and  cut  up,  shortened,  and 
spliced,  and  made  almost  anything  but  what  ho  intended,  his 
heart  is  taken  out  of  it,  and  refuses  to  return,  so  that  ho  can 
hardly  be  expected  to  do  more  than  exhibit  a  dried  prepara- 
tion. But  still  it  seems  to  me  he  might  be  made  to  diversify 
liis  tones,  and  vary  his  inflections,  even  though  he  should  do 
it  as  a  formality." 

These  are  but  a  few  specimens  of  the  many  letters  received 
from  my  old  friend  during  a  life-long  correspondence  ;  but 
as  they  are  chiefly  of  a  jiersonal  nature,  and  are  so  i:)ervaded 
by  a  spirit  of  partial  friendship,  that  they  cannot  Avith  proprie- 
ty be  given  to  the  public. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  narrate  the  life  or  portray  the  char- 
acter of  Dr.  Stow.  This  duty  others  will  perform.  Some 
impressions,  however,  made  upon  ray  mind  by  long  and 
familiar  intercourse  with  him  may  properly  find  a  place  here. 

Taken  all  in  all,  as  a  man,  as  a  Christian,  and  as  a  minister 
of  the  gospel,  he  stood  in  the  foremost  rank  in  the  city  of  his 
adoption.  The  respect  and  affection  cherished  for  him  by 
Christians  of  all  denominations  showed  how  well  he  sustained 
his  position  in  his  more  general  relations  to  society.  In  all 
those  great  enterprises  in  which  evangelical  Christians  were 
united,  he  was  a  prominent  actor.  An  unusual  degree  cf 
confidence  was  reposed  in  him.  In  this  respect  his  name  may 
be  justly  placed  side  by  side  with  the  names  of  Baldwin  and 
Sharp. 

He  was  highly  valued  for  his  substantial  worth,  and  greatly 
loved  for  his  unifonii  courtesy  and  kindness.  As  was  nat- 
ural, he  was  often  called  upon  to  speak  on  public  occasions, 
and  was  generally  exceedingly  happy  and  successful  in  his 
efforts.  Strong  and  vigorous  in  thought;  forcible  and  pointed, 
as  well  as  fluent,  in  expression ;  emphatic,  and  almost  de- 
clamatory, as  well  as  graceful,  in  his  delivery, — he  was  one  of 
the  most  powerful,  and,  at  the  same  time,  the  most  winning, 


366  MEMOIR   or   DK.    STOW, 

of  our  public  speakers  on  such  occasions.  As  a  preacher  In 
his  own  church,  he  gave  his  people,  during  the  year,  as  many 
sound,  substantial  gospel  sermons,  perhaps,  as  any  clergyman 
in  Boston.  This  was  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Thomas  Edmands, 
not  long  before  his  death ;  and  he  was  a  constant  attendant  at 
his  church  for  many  years,  and  confessedly  a  good  judge.  I 
often  preached  for  him  one  part  of  the  day,  and  heard  him 
the  other;  and  rarely  did  I  listen  to  a  disccurse  which  was 
not  above  mediocrity. 

His  kind  and  affectionate  ti-eatment  of  the  members  of  his 
church  and  congregation  was  always  observable.  He  knew 
them  when  he  met  them  on  the  street,  and  never  j^assed 
them  witliout  making  them  the  happier  for  it.  Not  only 
have  I  myself  witnessed  this  kindly  and  genial  intercourse 
of  his  with  his  people,  but  some  of  my  family,  who  belonged 
to  his  church,  received  impressions  from  his  cordial  and  ten- 
der solicitude  that  will  never  be  forgotten. 

I  was  associated  with  him  much  during  the  trying  scenes 
of  the  "  abolition  "  excitement,  when  hard  things  were  some- 
times said,  even  by  good  men.  I  never  knew  him  to  utter 
an  unkind  Avord,  or  to  wound  the  feelings  of  any  of  his 
brethren.  If  he  ever  suffered  from  the  harshness  of  others, 
it  was  manifested  only  by  a  flush  upon  his  countenance,  and 
by  covering  his  face  with  his  hand  —  a  characteristic  attitude 
in  moments  of  trial.  This  had,  in  part,  a  physical  cause,  as 
he  was  constitutionally  subject  to  a  rush  of  blood  to  the 
head.  He  always  avoided  strife  and  bitterness.  When  he 
could  not  speak  courteously  and  kindly,  he  would  not  speak 
at  all.  Though  affable  to  every  one,  he  avoided  intimacy 
with  contentious  persons.  He  was  naturally  extremely  sen- 
sitive, and  could  never  enjoy,  in  any  high  degree,  the  socket}' 
of  minds  cast  in  a  different  mould.  He  loved  to  be  with 
warm  and  sympathizing  friends,  and  at  such  times  his  flash- 
ing eye  and  beaming  countenance  cast  a  sunshine  on  all 
around  him.  His  conversation,  though  cheerful,  and  often 
playful,  was  never  trifling.  Few  men  have  so  rarely  had 
occasion  to  regret  an  inconsiderate  word.     Foolish  expres- 


CONCLUSION.  367 

sioiis  no  one  ever  heard  from  his  hps.  In  all  these  respects 
he  was  a  niotlel  of  propriety.  Faults  and  weaknesses  he 
undoubtedly  luid,  for  he  was  human  ;  but  they  were  so  allied 
to  virtue,  that  one  caimot  liave  n  heart  to  name  them.  The 
particular  place  which  he  held  in  the  hearts  of  his  friends 
canno*.  be  given  to  another.  There  Avill  always  be  a  little 
Banctuary  reserved  for  him.  Others  I  shall  admire  and  love, 
but  for  me  there  can  never  be  another  Baron  Stow. 

Affectionately  yours, 

B.  Seaes. 


Our  task  is  done.  If  we  have  succeeded  in  leaving  upon 
the  minds  of  our  readers  definite  impressions  of  the  ministe- 
rial character  of  Dr.  Stow,  if  just  conceptions  have  been 
formed  of  him  in  the  relation  which  he  prized  above  all  other 
relations,  —  that  of  an  affectionate,  laborious  pastor  of  a 
church  of  Christ,  —  we  have  accom})lished  the  object  contem- 
plated in  the  preparation  of  this  Memoir.  Incidentally  we 
ha-'c  referred  to  what  he  did  with  his  pen.  It  would  have 
be?n  easy  to  have  written  page  after  page,  setting  forth  his 
ability  as  a  writer,  and  giving  analyses  of  the  works  which 
he  prepared  for  the  press.  His  published  sermons  and  ad- 
dresses would  make  a  good-sized  volume.  His  connection 
with  the  Psalmist,  as  one  of  the  compilers  of  the  collection 
of  hymns  so  generally  used  in  our  churches,  is  well  known. 
His  papers  on  subjects  connected  with  missions  are  Aery 
numerous.  In  various  departments  of  religious  literature, 
he  exhibited  the  skill  and  good  taste  of  the  "ready  writer." 
His  Doctrinal  Question  Book  —  his  Daily  Manna  —  liis 
Whole  Family  in  Heaven  —  are  examples  of  the  facility 
with  w^'ich  he  wrote  on  matters  of  living  interest  to  th'- 
church  of  Christ.  So,  too,  we  might  have  dwelt  largely  on 
the  rare  executive  ability  he  displayed  in  positions  of  trust, 
as  a  member  of  the  corporation  of  Brown  University,  in  both 
of  its  boards,  as  a  trustee  of  Harvard  College,  and  Newton 
Theological  Institution.     We  misrht  have  taken  our  readers 


368  MEMOIR   OF   DK.    STOW. 

to  the  rooms  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Missionary 
Union,  and  shown  them  the  deference  which  was  paid  to  his 
opinions  by  liis  associates  in  office ;  how  he  moulded  and 
shaped  the  poUcy  and  the  action  of  the  committee,  and  made 
his  influence  to  be  felt,  on  a  large  scale,  in  both  hemispheres 
We  might  have  dwelt  on  his  catholic  spirit,  his  love  for  all 
the  true  disciples  of  Jesus  wherever  they  vvere  found,  the 
esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  good  men  of  all  denomina- 
tions in  the  city  which,  for  nearly  forty  years,  was  his  home. 
But,  as  our  most  exalted  conception  of  Baron  Stow  is  that 
which  Ave  form  of  him  as  preacher  and  pastor,  it  has  been  our 
wish  to  convey  this  conception  to  the  minds  of  our  readers. 
The  pulpit  was  his  throne ;  the  church  of  Christ,  when  it 
came  up  to  his  ideal  of  what  it  should  be,  his  paradise  on 
earth.  On  that  throne  he  swayed  the  sceptre  of  a  monarch 
who  might  justly  claim  to  be  a  legate  from  the  skies.  In 
that  paradise  he  serenely  Avalked,  drawing  all  souls  to  him  by 
the  magnetism  Avhich  ever  goes  forth  from  a  pure  heart  and  a 
holy  life.  Our  best  thought  of  him  is,  that  he  belonged  to 
that  company  of  choice  sjiirits  who,  after  the  toils  and  con- 
flicts of  life  are  over,  "  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  tlie 
firmament,"  and,  having  turned  many  to  righteousness,  shall 
be  "  as  the  stars  forever  and  ever." 


THE     END. 


APPENDI/X. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


1.  Daniel  Sharp. 

2.  ROLLIN    HEBER    NEALE. 

3.  William  Hague. 

4.  John  Calvin  Stockbridge. 

5.  John  Nelson  Murdock. 

6.  Adoniram  Judson  Gordon. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


DANIEL   SHARP. 


Daniel  Sharp  was  born  in  Huddersfiekl,  county  of  York, 
England,  Dec.  25,  1783.  He  was  the  son  of  Christian  parents,  for 
wliom  he  always  cherished  the  most  profound  reverence  and  affec- 
tion. Soon  after  his  conversion  he  united  witli  a  Congregational 
church,  but  a  change  of  sentiments  with  regard  to  the  mode  and 
subjects  of  baptism  led  him  to  connect  himself  with  a  Baptist 
church.  Developing  in  early  life  a  decided  taste  for  mercantile 
pursuits,  he  received  a  commission  from  a  large  business  firm  in 
Yt)rksliire,  to  go  to  the  United  States,  in  their  interests.  Reach- 
ing New  York  in  1S0.5  (ho  was  then  Init  twenty-two  years  of  age), 
he  at  once  took  his  stand  as  a  Christian  young  man,  and  identified 
himself  with  the  church  of  which  Rev.  John  Williams,  the  father 
of  the  honored  and  distinguished  scholar  and  minister.  Rev.  Dr. 
William  R.  Williams,  was  the  pastor.  We  ax-e  told  that,  "in  the 
social  meetings  of  the  church  he  developed  such  gifts  at  public 
speaking,  and  showed  such  love  for  the  work  to  which  he  devoted 
his  life,  that  it  was  the  conviction  of  his  brethren  that  he  ought 
to  prepare  for  the  Christian  ministry."  Obeying  what  seemed  to 
him  to  be  a  call  from  God,  he  turned  away  from  the  fascinations 
of  mercantile  life,  and,  renouncing  the  hopes  he  may  have  reason- 
ably cherished  of  success  in  his  business  vocation,  placed  him- 
self under  the  tuition  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  William  Staughton,  of  Phil- 
adelphia, Having  i)ursued  his  ministerial  studies  for  not  far 
from  four  years,  he  was  ordained  May  17,  1809,  pastor  of  the  Bap- 
tist church  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  being,  at  the  time,  under  twenty-six 
years  of  age.  He  occupied  this  position  not  quite  three  years, 
and  then  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Charles  Street  Church 
in  Boston,  his  installation  taking  place  April  29,  1812. 

The  Providence  of  God  which  transferred  him  to  this  sphere  of 
wider  usefulness  was  very  manifest.  Just  such  a  man,  with  the 
fine  executive  abilities  which  had  been  brought  out  and  trained 
in  his  early  business  career,  was  needed  to  meet  the  peculiar 
emergencies  of  his  denomination.  New  life  was  everywhere 
developing    itself.      The    spirit    of    missions   was    stirring    the 


372  APPENDIX. 

churches.  New  societies  for  carrying  on  Christian  work  were 
springing  up  on  all  sides.  Into  all  these  movements  the  Charles 
street  minister  threw  himself  with  his  characteristic  energy.  He 
was  one  of  the  editors  of  the  American  Baptist  Magazine  for  a 
number  of  years.  With  great  zeal  he  took  up  the  work  which 
was  demanded  of  the  churches  in  consequence  of  the  conversion 
to  Baptist  views  of  Rev.  Messrs.  Judson  and  Rice.  The  General 
Convention  of  the  Baptist  denomination  in  the  United  States  was 
formed  in  May,  1S14,  and  from  the  first  he  occupied  a  prominent 
position  in  the  administration  of  its  affairs,  being  for  many  years 
president  of  its  acting  Board.  He  was  the  warm  friend  and  pro- 
moter of  ministerial  education,  taking  an  active  part  in  the  form- 
ation of  "The  Northern  Baptist  Education  Society,"  and  in  the 
founding  of  "  The  Newton  Theological  Seminary."  Of  the  Board 
of  trustees  of  the  latter  he  was  the  president  for  eighteen  years. 

Elsewhere  the  compiler  of  the  memoir  of  Dr.  Stow  has  re- 
marked: "Dr.  Sharp  was  eminently  conservative  in  his  tastes 
and  habits.  His  long  experience  and  wide  observation  made  him 
suspicious  of  the  permanent  results  of  those  spasmodic  religious 
movements  which  stir  whole  communities  from  their  profoundest 
depths.  He  was  a  believer  in  the  worth  of  steady  every-day 
work,  and  he  thought  more  of  harmoniously-developed,  well- 
rounded  Christians,  than  of  those  whose  zeal  so  often  outruns  a 
wise  discretion."  To  use  his  own  words  as  uttered  in  his  fortieth 
anniversary  sermon:  "I  have  never  aimed  at  temporary,  but  at 
permanent  effects.  I  have  not  sought  to  call  forth  so  much 
emotion  as  to  cultivate  princii^les,  and  have  never  been  so  anxious 
to  arouse  your  passions  as  to  enlighten  your  minds.  I  have  never 
forgotten  that  I  was  a  minister  of  Christ  and  your  minister.  My 
office  has  always  seemed  to  me  as  honorable  and  as  useful  as  any 
other,  if  not  moi-e  so.  I  have,  therefore,  determined,  at  all  sea- 
sons, that  I  would  never  do  anything  knowingly,  in  my  social, 
civil  or  political  relations,  which  would  degrade  that  office,  or 
lessen  my  just  ministerial  influence.  Acting  on  this  principle, 
without  prevarication,  or  pusillanimity,  or  selfish  considerations, 
I  have  often  yielded  my  right  as  a  citizen,  rather  than  diminish 
my  usefulness  as  a  pastor.  I  have  seldom,  perhaps  never,  ob- 
truded party  topics  anywhere,  in  order  that  I  might  the  more 
eifectually  win  men  to  that  great  Christian  party  comprising  all 
the  lovers  of  truth  and  goodness  to  which  all  other  parties  should 
aspire  to  belong." 

These  are  noble,  golden  utterances,  and  give  us  a  good  idea  of 
the  man  from  whose  lips  they  fell.     Dr.  Sharp  sincerely  wished, 


BIOGUAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  373 

first  of  all,  to  deserve  the  respect  of  the  community  in  which  ho 
lived,  by  the  transparency  of  his  character  and  the  spotless  up- 
rij^htness  of  his  life,  and  then  to  have  this  respect.  What  he 
wished,  he  gained  in  a  remarkable  degree.  In  the  city  of  his 
adoption  he  was  known  and  resijected  as  few  clergymen  of  any 
denomination  were  in  his  day.  Brown  University  honored  him 
by  making  liim  a  Fellow  of  her  Corporation,  which  office  he  held 
from  the  time  of  his  election,  in  1828,  to  his  death,  in  1853.  In 
1811  the  University  conferred  on  him  the  honorary  degree  of  Mas- 
ter of  Arts,  and  in  1828  that  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  He  was  one 
of  the  not  more  than  eight  or  ten  Baptist  ministers  in  this  coun- 
try who  have  received  this  latter  degree  from  Harvard  University 
which  conferred  it  ni:)on  him  in  1843,  at  a  time  when  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Overseers. 

Dr.  Sharp's  long  pastorate  of  the  Charles  Street  Church,  extend- 
ing from  April,  1812,  to  June,  IS-'i'-],  a  period  of  more  than  forty- 
one  years,  made  him  so  well  known  in  Boston  that  his  straight, 
commanding  form  and  dignified  bearing  were  held  in  remem- 
brance by  citizens  of  all  classes  and  denominations  long  after  he 
had  passed  away.  He  left  behind  him  a  stainless  Christian  repu- 
tation and  an  honored  memory  as  a  minister  of  that  gospel  which 
he  had  preached  for  more  than  forty  years.  Dr.  Sharp  died  in 
Baltimore,  Md.,  June  23, 1853,  aged  seventy  years  and  six  months. 


ROLLIN   HEBER  NEALE. 

Roixix  Hebeb  Xeale  was  born  in  Soiithington,  Conn.,  Feb. 
13,  1808.  He  was  fitted  for  college  in  his  native  village,  and  grad- 
uated at  Columbia  College  (now  Columbian  University),  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  in  the  class  of  1829.  Very  early  in  life  he  gave  evidence 
that  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  was  the  vocation  to  which,  in  the 
Providence  of  God,  he  was  called.  In  1828,  while  yet  a  student, 
of  not  more  than  twenty  years  of  age,  he  was  ordained  pastor  of 
the  Second  Baptist  Church  in  Washington.  Having  completed 
his  college  course,  he  entered  the  Newton  Theological  Seminar}', 
and  was  pastor  of  the  South  Boston  Baptist  Church  while  pursu- 
ing his  theological  studies.  He  graduated  in  1833,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1834  accepted  a  call  to  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Baptist 
Cliurch  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  where  he  remained  till  Sejitember, 
1837.  From  New  Haven  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church  in  Boston,  as  the  successor  of  Rev.  William 
Hague,  D.  D.,  and  was  installed  Sept.  27,  1837.     This  old  historic 


374  APPENDIX. 

church  had  had  a  memorable  history.  Formed  in  the  year  1665, 
it  encountered  for  a  number  of  years  from  the  outset  of  its  exist- 
ence the  bitter  persecution  wliich  the  Puritans  inflicted  upon  all 
who  did  not  fellowship  "the  standing  order."  By  legal  enact- 
ment the  church  was  forbidden  to  use,  for  religious  purposes,  the 
humble  edifice  it  had  erected  for  the  worship  of  God.  The  mar- 
shal of  the  district  was  commanded  not  to  allow  its  doors  to  be 
opened,  and  the  following  notice  was  posted  where  all  jiassers-by 
could  see  and  read  it  : 

"All  persons  are  to  take  notice,  that  by  order  of  the  Court,  the 
doors  of  this  house  are  shut  up,  and  that  they  are  inhibited  to 
hold  any  meeting  therein  or  to  open  the  doors  thereof,  without 
license  from  authority,  till  the  Court  take  further  order,  as  they 
will  answer  the  contrary  at  their  peril, 

Edward  Rawson,  Secretary.' 

With  the  passage  of  time  a  better  spirit  prevailed,  and  "  the 
sect  everywhere  spoken  against,"  was  permitted  to  worshij) 
God  without  molestation.  For  many  years,  however,  they  were 
obliged  to  submit  to  taxation  to  support  the  Established  Church, 
the  law  for  raising  taxes  for  this  purpose  being  in  force  till  the 
year  1833. 

Among  the  more  eminent  predecessors  of  Dr.  Neale  was  the  cel- 
ebrated Dr.  Stillman,  one  of  the  most  eloquent  pulpit  orators  of 
his  time  in  any  denomination.  Dr.  Neale  says  of  him:  "Dr. 
Stillman  was  probably  the  most  popular  orator  of  his  day.  The 
most  distinguished  men  in  the  Commonwealth  were  often  present 
at  his  public  services.  The  elder  President  Adams  was  a  de- 
lighted listener  to  his  sermons.  Governor  Hancock  became  in  the 
latter  part  of  his  life  a  regular  member  of  his  congregation.  Per- 
sons who  cared  nothing  for  his  theology  were  attracted  by  his 
fame  as  a  public  speaker." 

Dr.  II.  L.  Wayland,  in  the  admirable  memoir  of  his  honored 
father,  thus  alludes  to  him: 

"  To  him  and  to  his  church  was  granted  the  singular  honor  of 
holding  up  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  when  the  great  body  of 
churches  of  'the  standing  order'  had  either  openly  departed 
from  the  faith,  or,  while  '  having  the  form  of  godliness,  had 
denied  the  power'  of  it.  When  any  one  became  anxious  about  his 
soul,  it  was  very  commonly  said  to  him,  '  O,  you  had  better  go 
down  to  Dr.  Stillman's  meeting,  you  will  find  what  you  want 
there.'  An  eminent  layman  of  one  of  the  Congregational  churches 
used  to  relate,  that  when  a  young  man,  having  become  aroused  by 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  375 

the  Spirit  of  God,  and  seeking  advice  suited  to  his  condition,  he 
was  referred  to  Dr.  Stillman's  Church;  and  at  the  time  of  meeting 
he  would  steal,  by  retired  streets,  down  to  the  North  End,  watch- 
ing to  see  that  he  was  not  observed,  and  there  would  receive  into 
his  thirsty  soul  the  words  of  everlasting  life." 

Another  distinguished  pastor  of  the  First  Church  was  the  Rev- 
erend, afterward  President,  Francis  Wayland,  D.  D.,  of  Brown 
University,  who  was  ordained  August  21,  1821,  and  remained  in 
office  not  far  from  six  years.  It  was  in  the  pulpit  of  this  church 
that  ho  preached  his  famous  sermon.  Sabbath  evening,  Sept.  26, 
1823,  on  "The  Moral  Dignity  of  the  Missionary  Enterprise."  It 
is  worthy  of  record,  what  was  the  preacher's  view  of  what  he 
had  done  on  that  memorable  occasion,  his  remark  to  a  friend,  the 
next  morning,  when  he  was  in  a  sadly  depressed  "  blue  Monday" 
condition,  "  It  was  a  complete  failure.     It  fell  perfectly  dead." 

Other  pastors  worthy  of  note  among  the  departed  were  Elisha 
Callender,  a  Harvard  graduate  of  the  class  of  1810,  who  for  nearly 
twenty  years  held  his  office,  great  spiritual  prosperity  attending 
his  ministry,  and  Joseph  Clay,  a  graduate  of  Princeton,  with  the 
highest  honors  of  his  class,  in  1T84.  He  studied  law,  and  became 
one  of  the  most  eminent  and  popular  practitioners  in  Georgia,  his 
native  State.  President  Washington  appointed  him,  in  1796, 
United  States  Judge  for  the  district  of  Georgia.  This  position  he 
held  for  nearly  five  years,  discharging  its  duties  "with  such  wis- 
dom and  uprightness  as  secured  for  him  the  respect  of  all  good 
citizens."  Judge  Clay  became  a  hopeful  Christian  in  1803,  left 
the  Episcopal  church  to  unite  with  a  church  which  he  believed 
was  modeled  more  nearly  after  the  New  Testament  pattern,  and 
after  a  year  or  two  of  ministerial  service  in  his  native  State,  came 
to  Boston,  where,  for  a  time,  he  was  associate  pastor  with  Dr. 
Stillman,  and  in  August,  1807,  became  his  successor.  We  are  told 
that  "his  health  permitted  him  only  for  a  short  period  to  dis- 
charge the  duties  of  his  office;  but  during  that  time  throngs  of 
the  intelligent  and  refined  waited  on  his  ministrations,  and  Chris- 
tians of  all  conditions  heai-d  him  gladly.  His  residence  in  Boston 
was  a  great  blessing  to  the  Baptists  and  to  the  whole  city." 

Other  distinguished  pastors  of  the  venerable  First  Baptist 
Church  of  Boston  now  living  have  been  the  Rev.  Dr.  C.  B.  Crane, 
at  present  (1894)  the  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Con- 
cord, N.  II.,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  P,  S.  Moxom,  who  has  recently  re- 
signed his  office  (1894). 

Into  this  goodly  fellowship  of  honored  and  beloved  ministers, 
Dr,  Neale,  as  has  already  been  mentioned,  entered  in  September, 


370  APPENDIX. 

1837,  and  was  the  pastor  of  the  church  until  Juue,  1S77,  his  term 
of  service  covering  a  period  of  nearly  forty  years.  Brown  Univer- 
sity in  1850  conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  and 
in  1857  he  received  the  same  degree  from  Harvard,  of  which  insti- 
tution he  was  for  many  years  a  "  Visitoi',"  and,  for  a  time,  an 
"  Overseer." 

The  published  writings  of  Dr.  Neale  included  several  sermons, 
a  Harvard  College  "  Dudleian  Lecture,"  a  little  volume  entitled 
"  The  Burning  Bush,"  and  no  small  amount  of  matter  which 
appeared  in  the  public  pi-ess.  Under  this  latter  head  may  be 
mentioned  many  of  the  addresses  he  made  on  funeral  occasions  of 
beloved  members  of  his  church  anrl  of  others.  The  address  deliv- 
ered at  the  funeral  of  Dr.  Stow,  which  will  be  found  in  the 
memoir,  pp.  341,  347,  will  furnish  a  happy  illustration  of  his 
"gift"  in  the  direction  referred  to. 

Dr.  Neale  was  everywhere  recognized  as  a  minister  of  a  gener- 
ous, catholic  spirit,  which  won  for  him  a  warm  place  in  the  hearts 
of  his  brethren  in  the  ministry,  while  it  secured  for  him  the 
respect  and  affection  of  the  clergy  of  all  denominations  who  were 
in  any  way  brought  in  contact  with  him.  His  appearance  was 
striking  and  could  not  fail  to  arrest  the  attention  of  the  passer-by, 
as,  with  head  erect,  and  firm  step,  and  stately  bearing,  he  walked 
the  streets  of  Boston.  He  was  wont  to  quote  Dr.  Baldwin  as  say- 
ing that  if  a  minister  would  keep  out  of  "  hot  water,"  and  remain 
as  pastor  for  any  considerable  time  in  the  same  place,  he  must  be 
conscientiously  kind,  insensible  to  petty  annoyances,  and  under 
all  circumstances  "  imperturhahly  good-natured."  That  was  a 
remarkable  pen-portrait  of  himself.  He  was  the  very  incarnation 
of  "imperturbable  good-nature,"  and  was  ever  ready  to  render 
any  good  office  in  his  power  to  one  who  sought  his  aid. 

Dr.  Neale  had  the  kind  of  pulpit  talents  which  made  him,  year 
after  year,  so  acceptable  a  preacher  to  the  great  majority  of  his 
hearers.  He  was  ready  of  speech,  knew  how  to  use  illustrations 
without  making  them  too  common-place,  was  full  of  sentiment, 
and  could,  apparently  without  effort,  sweep  the  chords  of  human 
sympathy  in  all  ways,  from  the  most  tender  and  subdued  to  the 
most  humorous.  On  public  occasions  he  was  sure  to  be  called 
out,  and  everybody  delighted  to  listen  to  him,  as  he  spoke  from  a 
full,  warm  heart,  and  touched  so  many  sensibilities  of  our  com- 
mon human  nature.  Large  accessions  were  made  to  his  church, 
and  it  continually  grew  in  influence  and  power  in  the  community. 
He  died  in  Boston,  after  a  somewhat  lingering  illness,  Sept.  18, 
1S79. 


REV.  WILLIAM    HAGUE,   D.  D. 


BIOGRAPIIICAr,    SICKTCIIEP.  377 

Tlio  -writer  t)f  this  sketch  lovingly  pays  this  modest  tribute  to 
the  memory  of  a  dear  friend,  whose  loss  he  deeply  mourned,  and 
-whom  he  hopes  to  meet  in  "  The  Better  Land." 

III. 
WILLIAM  HAGUE. 

William  Hague,  of  Huguenot  descent,  -was  born  in  Pelham, 
Westchester  Co.,  X.  T.,  Jan.  4,  ISO?.  He  graduated  at  Hamilton 
College  (aftmAvai'Trs  Madisoji,  att4-B«w  Colgate  Univeroity),  in 
the  class  of  1826.  His  tlicological  course  -was  taken  in  the  Newton 
Seminary,  where  he  graduated  in  the  class  of  1S29.  Soon  after 
graduation  he  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  Second  Baptist  Church 
in  Utica,  X,  Y. ,  the  event  taking  place  Oct.  20,  1829,  he  being  a 
few  months  under  the  age  of  twenty-two  years.  His  connection 
with  the  church  in  Utica  was  a  brief  one,  as,  indeed,  were  most  of 
his  pastorates,  and  was  terminated  by  his  call  to  become  the  pas- 
tor of  the  Fii'st  Baptist  Church  in  Boston,  where,  as  the  successor 
of  Rev.  C.  P.  Grosvenor,  he  was  installed  Feb.  3,  1831,  the  sermon 
being  preached  by  Rev.  Dr.  Francis  Wayland.  This  position  he 
held  more  than  six  years,  at  the  end  of  which  period  he  was 
invited  to  become  pastor  of  the  venerable  First  Baj^tist  Church  in 
Providence,  R.  I.,  as  the  successor  of  Rev.  Robert  E.  Pattison, 
D.  D.,  who  had  resigned  to  take  the  presidency  of  ^^'atcrville  Col- 
lege (now  Colby  University),  Me.  His  installation  took  place 
July  12,  1837,  Rev.  Dr.  Barnas  Sears  preaching  the  sermon. 
His  ministry  in  Providence  was  an  honored  and  fruitful  one, 
more  than  one  hundred  persons  having  been  received  into  its 
membership,  by  letter  and  by  baptism,  during  the  little  more 
than  three  years  of  his  pastorate.  For  nine  months  of  the  year 
1838-39  he  traveled  in  the  old  world,  having  for  his  companion 
his  parishioner,  the  Hon.  Samuel  G.  Arnold,  so  well  known  as  the 
distinguished  historian  of  his  native  State,  Rhode  Island.  Dr. 
Hague  resigned  his  office  Aug.  20,  1840,  a  call  having  been  ex- 
tended to  him  to  become  the  pastor  of  the  Federal  Street  (subse- 
quently Rowe  Street,  and  now  Clarendon  Street)  Church,  Boston. 
As  this  church,  in  its  three  homes,  has  always  held  a  prominent 
and  honorable  rank  among  the  Baptist  churches  of  Boston,  it 
may  not  be  out  of  place  to  glance  at  a  few  salient  facts  in  its 
historj-. 

A  somewhat  unusual  circumstance  marks  the  early  history  of 
the  church,  viz.:  that  a  commodious  house  of  worship  was 
erected  on  Federal  street,  near  Milk  street,  and  was  ready  for 


378  APPKNDIX. 

occupancy  before  tlie  new  church  was  formed,  July  16,  1827. 
Two  days  later  the  church  edifice  was  dedicated,  la  his  address 
to  the  newly  organized  church,  Rev.  J.  D.  Kuowles,  afterwards 
Professor  Knowlcs,  of  the  Newton  Theological  Institution,  said: 

"How  different  your  situation  from  that  of  the  little  band, 
who,  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  years  ago,  united  together  to 
form  the  "First  Baptist  Church"  in  this  city.  They  were  eirjht 
only  in  number,  and  instead  of  being  welcomed  and  encouraged  by 
the  cheering  voices  of  brethren  and  friends,  they  were  assailed  by 
persecution.  Arrested  as  ci-iminals,  imi^risoned,  fined;  and  by  a 
public  act  of  the  Legislature,  a  portion  of  them  were  ordered, 
though  without  effect,  to  leave  the  State.  Instead  of  founding  a 
spacious  and  elegant  house  ready  for  their  reception,  they,  like 
the  primitive  saints,  "  of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy,"  were 
forced  to  assemble  privately,  for  fourteen  years,  in  any  place 
where  they  could  find  safety  from  their  persecutors;  and  when, 
at  length,  by  great  trials  and  sacrifices,  they  succeeded  in  erect- 
ing a  house  for  public  worship,  the  doors  of  this  Sanctuary  of 
God  were  nailed  up  by  order  of  the  General  Court  of  Massachu- 
setts." 

The  first  pastor  of  the  Federal  Street  Church  was  the  Rev. 
Howard  Malcom,  who  was  installed  Jan.  9,  1S28.  Mr.  (after- 
wards Dr.)  Malcom,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Jan.  10,  1709, 
studied  in  the  Princeton  Seminary,  was  ordained  in  April,  lS:iO, 
and  became  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Hudson,  N.  Y. 
Here  he  remained  not  far  from  six  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
period  he  was  appointed  general  agent  of  the  American  Sunday 
School  Union,  and  held  this  office  until  he  was  called  to  the  pas- 
torate of  the  Federal  Street  Church,  where  he  had  a  ministry  of 
rare  success  for  more  than  seven  years.  "His  labors,"  we  are 
told,  "were  blessed  in  a  remarkable  degree  in  drawing  a  large 
and  intelligent  congregation,  composed  in  great  measure  of  those 
who  had  not  been  accustomed  to  attend  on  Baptist  preaching. 
Pews  were  in  great  demand,  and  almost  every  available  seat  in 
the  house  was  occupied.  Large  and  constant  additions  were 
made  to  the  church  from  rLonth  to  mon.h  throughout  his  entire 
pastorate."  He  was  forced  to  resign  on  account  of  an  affection  of 
the  vocal  organs,  which  made  public  speaking  impossible. 

The  successor  of  Dr.  Malcom  was  Rev.  (afterwards  Dr.)  George 
B.  Ide,  then  of  Albany,  who  was  installed  Dec.  30.  18."]5.  Dr.  Ide 
was  one  of  the  most  eloquent  preacliors  of  his  time,  and  the 
church  prospered  under  his  ministry,   which  continued  a  little 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKKTCIIES.  379 

more  than  two  years,  and  was  terminated  by  his  accepting  a  call 
to  become  the  pastor  of  the  "First  Church  in  Philadelphia." 

Rev.  Ilandcl  G.  Nott,  so  well  known  as  the  father  of  R(3V.  Abner 
Kingman  Nott,  the  youthful  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church 
in  New  York,  whose  death  by  drowning,  July  8,  1851),  was  such  a 
shock  to  the  Christian  community,  was  the  third  pastor  of  the 
Federal  Street  Church.  His  installation  took  i^lace  May  23,  1839. 
He  continued  in  oifice  but  a  single  year,  and  was  succeeded  by  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  who  entered  upon  his  labors  in  September, 
1840. 

A  part  of  Dr.  Hague's  ministry  in  the  Federal  Street  Church 
embraced  that  memorable  period  known  as  "  The  Jacob  Knapp 
excitement."  As  the  result  of  that  remarkable  movement  not  far 
from  two  thousand  persons  joined  the  churches  of  the  Boston 
Baptist  Association  during  the  year  1842.  The  writer  has  the  im- 
pression that  while  Dr.  Hague  did  not  stand  aloof  from  the  move- 
ment, ho  was  not  altogether  cordial  in  it,  fearing,  as  he  did,  the 
great  reaction  which  he  foresaw  would,  and,  as  a  matter  of  fact 
did,  follow  the  excitement. 

The  march  of  commerce  through  all  that  part  of  the  city  of  Bos- 
ton in  which  the  Federal  Street  Church  was  located,  made  a 
removal  absolutely  necessai'y,  and  a  new  home  was  found  at  the 
corner  of  Eowe  (now  Chauncey)  and  Bedford  streets.  The  corner 
stone  of  the  new  church  edifice  was  laid  April  27,  1846,  and  it  was 
dedicated  April  7,  1847.  Dr.  Hague's  health  had  been  seriously 
undermined  by  his  labors,  so  that  he  felt  compelled  to  resign,  and 
closed  his  connection  with  this  church  the  last  Sabbath  in  July, 
1848,  his  pastorate  havir.g  continued  nearly  eight  years. 

Subsequently,  and  for  brief  periods.  Dr.  Hague's  pastoi'ates 
were  in  Jamaica  Plain,  Mass.;  Newark,  N.  J.;  New  York  City; 
Orange,  N.  J. ;  Boston  and  Wollaston  Heights,  Mass.  He  died 
suddenly,  in  Boston,  August  1,  1887. 

The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  on  Dr.  Hague  in 
1849  by  Brow-n  University,  and  by  Hai'vard  College  in  1803.  He 
was  elected  a  trustee  of  Brown  University  in  1837,  and  continued 
in  office  till  his  death,  a  period  of  not  far  from  fifty  years. 

Among  the  productions  of  Dr.  Hague's  pen  were  "  The  Baptist 
Church  Transplanted  from  the  Old  World  to  the  New,"  "Guide 
to  Conversations  on  the  Gospel  of  John,"  "Review  of  Drs.  Fuller 
and  Wayland  on  Slavery,"  "Christianity  and  Statesmanship," 
"Home Life,"  etc.  He  contributed  many  articles  on  a  variety  of 
subjects  for  reviews  and  the  periodical  press.  For  a  time  he  was 
editorially  connected  with  the  Watchman,  and  wrote  much  for 


380  APPENDIX. 

that  paper  over  tlie  signature  of  "  Herbert."  He  will  be  long  and 
justly  remembered  as  one  of  the  most  able  and  cultivated  minis- 
ters of  a  denomination  which  has  had  iu  its  ranks  scholars  and 
divines  the  worthy  peers  of  those  of  any  body  of  Christians  in  the 
country. 

IV. 
JOHN  CALVIX  STOCKBKIDGE. 

John  Calvin  Stockbridge,  son  of  Dea.  Calviu  and  Rachel 
Wales  (Rogers)  Stockbridge,  was  born  June  14,  1818,  in  what  was 
North  Yarmouth,  now  Yarmouth,  Maine.  His  American  ances- 
tors were  among  the  original  "Pilgrims  "  of  the  Mayflower,  on  his 
father's  side,  "Elder"  William  Brewster,  and  on  his  mother's, 
"Mr."  Richard  Warren,  who  was  a  descendant  of  the  English 
*'  Earls  of  Warren."  He  was  fitted  for  college  in  the  academy  in 
his  native  village,  and  entered  Bowdoin  College  in  1£33,  remaining 
here  two  years.  Subsequently  he  went  to  Brown  University,  and 
graduated  iu  the  class  of  1838.  For  three  years  he  was  engaged 
in  teaching,  for  most  of  the  time  as  principal  of  a  ladies  seminary 
in  Warren,  R.  I.  He  graduated  at  the  Newton  Theological  Insti- 
tution in  the  class  of  1844;  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  First 
Baptist  Church  iu  Waterville,  Me.,  and  was  ordained  Jan.  8,  1845. 
Prof.  J.  R.  Loomis,  subsequently  President  of  Lewisburg  Uni- 
versity, then  a  i^rofessor  in  Waterville  College,  being  ordained  at 
the  same  time.  He  was  pastor  in  Waterville  three  years  and  then 
accepted  a  call  to  become  the  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church 
in  what  was  the  village,  now  the  city,  of  Woburn,  Mass.  At  the 
end  of  five  years  he  was  invited  to  take  the  pastoral  charge  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  during  the  temporary 
absence  of  its  minister,  the  Rev,  Dr.  James  N.  Granger.  Dr. 
Granger  had  been  appointed  as  an  associate  with  Rev.  Dr.  Solomon 
Peck,  Foreign  Secretary  of  the  Missionary  Union,  to  visit  and  con- 
fer with  the  missionaries  in  the  East  on  matters  of  importance 
connected  with  their  operations  in  the  foreign  field.  They 
expected  to  be  absent  two  years.  At  the  end  of  the  first  year  of 
his  engagement  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  called  to  the  pas- 
torate of  the  Charles  Street  Baptist  Church,  made  vacant  by  the 
death  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Daniel  Sharj).  His  ministry  with  the 
church  commenced  in  the  fall  of  1853,  and  continued  for  about 
eight  years  (1853-61).  For  a  time,  after  his  resignation,  he  sup- 
phed  the  Baldwin  Place  Church  in  Boston,  and,  for  several 
months,  was  the  chaplain  of  the  city  institutions  of  Boston  at 


REV.  JOHN    CALVIN    STOCKBRIDGE,   D.  D. 


BIOGUArillOAL    SKKTCIIES.  381 

Deer  Island.  In  18G3  he  became  pastor  of  the  Gary  Avenue  Church 
in  Chelsea.  The  state  of  his  health  obliging  him  to  give  up  his  min- 
isterial work,  he  resigned  his  pastorate,  and,  early  in  1SG5,  left  his 
home  for  an  extended  trip  abroad,  and  was  absent  several  months. 
Returning  home,  he  accepted  a  call  to  become  the  pastor  of  the 
Free  Street  Church,  Portland,  Me.,  which  position  he  held  until 
the  fall  of  18G7,  when  he  removed  to  Providence,  R.  L,  where  he 
has  lived  to  the  present  date  (1894),  engaged  in  ministerial,  educa- 
tional, and  literary  work. 

Dr.  Stockbridge  received  from  Harvard  College  in  1859  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  In  1856  he  was  elected  a  trustee  in 
the  Corporation  of  Brown  University,  and,  in  1887,  a  Fellow.  In 
1889  he  resigned  his  office  as  a  member  of  the  Corporation, 
having  been  elected  Registrar  of  the  University,  which  position 
he  held  for  two  years  (18S9-91). 

Dr.  Stockbridge  has  written  for  the  reviews  and  a  large  amount 
of  matter  for  the  periodical  press;  has  published  a  few  sermons, 
compiled  the  "  Memoirs  of  Dr.  Stow,"  of  which  this  is  a  new  and 
enlarged  edition,  "Memorials  of  the  Manran  Family,"  and  an  "An- 
notated Catalogue  of  the  Harris  Collection  of  American  Poetry." 

• 
V. 

JOHN  NELSON"  MURDOCK. 

JoHX  Nelson  Murdock  was  born  in  Oswego,  N.  T.,  Dec.  8, 
1820.  His  mother,  who  was  a  devout  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  named  her  son  John  Nelson,  that  being  the  name  of  an 
earnest  co-laborer  with  John  Wesley  in  his  great  evangelistic 
work.  In  her  wishes  as  well  as  in  her  fervent  prayers,  he  was 
set  apart  to  the  ministerial  calling  from  his  earliest  days.  It  was 
planned  that  he  should  receive  a  college  education  at  Union  Col- 
lege, and  his  academic  training  was  carried  on  and  completed 
with  this  end  in  view.  The  death  of  his  father,  however,  com- 
pelled him  to  abandon  his  purpose,  and  he  decided  to  study  law, 
and  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-one  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
Hopefully  converted  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  became  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Church  in  his  native  city.  He  had  not  long  been 
practicing  his  profession  before  a  greatly  quickened  spiritual  life 
led  him  to  give  up  his  chosen  vocation,  and  he  decided  to  enter 
the  ministry  in  the  denomination  in  which  he  had  had  his  early 
training.  A  change  of  belief  with  regard  to  the  mode  and  sub- 
jects of  baptism  led  to  his  leaving  the  Methodist  church,  and  he 
was  baptized  after  the  primitive  mode,  in  the  year  1843,  and  in 


382  APPENDIX. 

May  of  that  year  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  in 
Waterville,  N.  Y.,  being  at  the  time  a  few  months  over  his  major- 
ity. While  here  he  took  advantage  of  the  vicinity  of  Hamilton 
Theological  Seminary  to  perfect  his  knowledge  of  Hebrew  and 
New  Testament  Greek.  He  remained  in  this  position  until  Jan- 
uary, 1846,  Avhen  he  was  installed  as  pastor  of  the  church  in 
Albion,  N.  Y.  His  pastorate  here  was  a  little  more  than  two 
years,  and  was  terminated  by  his  acceptance  of  a  call  to  become 
the  pastor  of  the  South  Baptist  Church  in  Hartford,  Ct.,  upon  the 
duties  of  which  he  entered  in  April,  1848.  Here  his  labors  were 
attended  with  remarkable  success.  A  new  house  of  worship  was 
erected  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  congregation,  and  in  one  year 
(1853)  more  than  two  hundred  were  added  to  the  church.  This 
position  he  held  for  nearly  ten  years,  retiring  from  it  to  accept  an 
invitation  to  become  the  pastor  of  the  Bowdoin  Square  Church, 
Boston,  where  he  commenced  his  labors  Jan.  1,  1858,  and  held 
his  office  nearly  six  years  (1858-63).  A  few  months  of  interim  fol- 
lowed, when  he  was  elected  Secretary  of  the  Missionary  Union, 
the  choice  being  made  in  July,  1863.  He  continued  to  perform 
the  duties  of  his  office  for  the  long  period  of  twenty-nine  years, 
and  upon  his  retirement  at  the  age  of  seventy  years  he  was  made 
Honorary  Secretary. 

It  has  justly  been  said:  "Amid  the  many  difficulties  and  per- 
plexities incident  to  the  carrying  on  of  extensive  enterprises  in 
fox-eign  missionary  work,  the  brethren  of  Dr.  Murdock  have 
learned  by  experience  to  rely  with  great  confidence  on  his  clear, 
calm,  dispassionate  and  matured  convictions  of  the  right  course 
to  pursue.  It  has  been  his  lot  to  advocate  measures  which  were 
luipopuiar,  but  in  the  end  it  has  been  found  that  they  were  right. 
His  legal  training  has  proved  of  great  service,  and  many  personal 
qualities  have  contributed  to  his  eminent  success  in  the  great 
work  of  his  life;  but  more  than  all  else,  his  broad  and  correct 
judgment  has  gained  and  kept  for  Dr.  Murdock  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  the  denomination  in  the  responsible  position  which 
he  has  so  worthily  filled." 

Dr.  Murdock  received  from  Rochester  University  the  honorary 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  in  1854,  The  honorary  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Laws  was  conferred  on  him  in  1888  by  Madison  Uni- 
versity. 

The  pen  of  Di\  Murdock  has  been  a  busy  and  prolific  one. 
"While  pastor  in  Hartford  he  was  joint  editor  with  Rev.  Dr. 
R.  Turnbull  for  not  far  from  three  years  (1853-56)  of  the  Christian 
Beview,  to  which  he  contributed  several  articles.    His  published 


f 


1l 


REV.  JOHN    NELSON    MURDOCK,   D.  D.,  LL.  D. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  383 

sermons,  preached  on  occasions  of  special  interest,  have  been 
quite  numerous.  His  reports  as  Secretary  of  the  Missionary 
Union,  and  the  vast  amount  of  official  correspondence  which  he 
has  carried  on  during  his  long  connection  with  the  society, 
would,  if  collected,  constitute  the  material  for  more  than  one 
bulky  volume.  lie  has  made  more  than  one  visit  to  the  Old  "World 
to  participate  in  councils  called  to  take  into  consideration  the 
best  methods  for  advancing  the  cause  to  which  he  has  devoted 
the  energies  of  the  best  years  of  his  life. 

Dr.  Murdock  deservedly  holds  a  high  place  in  the  denomina- 
tion he  has  so  faithfully  and  so  wisely  served  for  more  than  half 
a  century,  and  his  name  and  his  influence  will  long  be  kept  in 
grateful  remembrance  by  his  brethren  who  have  honored  and 
loved  him. 

VI. 

ADONIRAM  JUDSOJ^  GOKDON. 

Adoxiram  Judson  Gordon,  sou  of  Dea.  John  Gordon,  a  sub- 
stantial farmer  in  New  Hampton,  N.  H.,  was  born  in  18.36.  He 
pursued  his  studies  preparatory  to  college  in  his  native  town  and 
in  New  London,  N".  H.,  and  graduated  at  Brown  University  in  the 
class  of  1800.  Among  his  classmates  were  Rev.  Drs.  Granville 
Shari^  Abbott,  Samuel  White  Duncan  and  "Wayland  Hoyt,  Hon. 
Henry  Joshua  Spooner,  M.  C,  Hon.  Thomas  Williams  Bickncll, 
LL.  D.,  and  Henry  Kirke  Porter,  LL.  D.  Mr.  Gordon  took  the 
full  course  of  theological  study  at  the  N'ewton  Institution,  gradu- 
ating in  the  class  of  18G3,  and  was  ordained  June  29,  1803,  as  pas- 
tor of  Jamaica  Plains  Church,  near  Boston,  where  he  remained 
six  years  (1S63-G9),  when  he  was  called  to  the  Clarendon  Street 
Church  (formerly  Rowe  Street),  being  the  immediate  successor  of 
Dr.  Baron  Stow,  which  position  he  continues  to  hold  at  this 
writing  (1894). 

Dr.  Gordon  received  from  Brown  University  the  degree  of  Doc- 
tor of  Divinity  in  1878.  He  was  elected  a  Trustee  of  the  Corpora- 
tion of  the  University  in  1874,  and  a  Fellow  in  1888. 

As  a  pastor  and  preacher  Dr.  Gordon  holds  a  high  rank  among 
the  ministers  of  Boston.  He  edits  the  Watchioord,  a  monthly  re- 
ligious periodical.  The  productions  of  his  pen  are  numerous  and 
popular.  Among  them  are  "  In  Christ,"  "  The  Ministry  of  Heal- 
ing," "  The  Two-Fold  Life,"  and  "Ecce  Venit."  With  the  Rev. 
Dr.  S.  L.  Caldwell  he  compiled  the  "Service  of  Song,"  at  one 
time  in  extensive  use  among  the  Baptist  churches  of  this  country. 


384  APPENDIX. 

He  has  been  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Executive  Commit- 
tee of  tlie  Missionary  Union,  and  one  of  tlie  editors  of  tho  Mission- 
ary Beview.  As  an  evangelistic  worker  with  Mr.  Moody,  and  as  a 
zealous  advocate  of  the  Temperance  cause,  lie  has  won  a  wide  rej)- 
utation.  He  has,  moreover,  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  Boston 
Missionary  Training  School,  and  is  actively  identified  with  many 
organizations  designed  to  uplift  and  bless  his  fellow-men. 

"Dr.  Gordon's  personal  appearance,"  as  has  been  truly  re- 
marked, "is  singularly  attractive.  He  has  a  well-proportioned 
and  somewhat  portly  form,  rather  above  the  ordinary  height;  a 
large,  square  head,  set  firmly  on  his  shoulders,  an  abundance  of 
light  hail-,  now  tinged  with  gray,  displaying  an  ample  forehead,  a 
smooth  face,  with  clear,  pleasant  eye,  and  expressive  mouth,  an 
alert  step  and  graceful  bearing.  His  face  is  marvellously  bright, 
beautiful  and  benign,  revealing  the  man  and  preaching  a  most 
winning  sermon  before  he  opens  his  lips.  His  voice  is  clear,  rich 
and  powerful,  and  with  this,  his  pleasant  manner  and  straightfor- 
ward presentation  of  the  greatest  truths,  combine  to  make  a  last- 
ing impression  on  his  hearers.  This  imiiression  is  doubtless 
deepened  by  the  fact  that  Dr.  Gordon  delights  in  the  use  of  the 
Word  of  God,  his  prayers  often  being  almost  entirely  composed  of 
passages  of  Scripture.  He  stands  by  common  consent  in  the 
front  of  the  leaders  of  his  denomination,  both  as  a  preacher  and 
as  a  man  of  varied  attainments." 


REV.  ADONIRAM    JUDSON    GORDON,  D.  D. 


INDEX. 


A.  Paok 

Adams,  President  John  Quincy,      44,  218 

Alabama  Eesolutions, 203,  230 

Anderson,  M.  B., 216,  358 

AraCoeli, 160 

Ash  Wednesday  at  Kome, 159 

Avignon, 144 

B. 

Babcock,  R,.,  D.  D.,      28,  C2,  71,  94 

Baird,  Rev.  R., 139,  142 

Baldwin,  T.,  D.  D., 19,  48,  87,  90 

Baldwin  Place  Church,     . 80,  8G,  87,  180,  219,  223 

Baldwin  Place  Church,  Letters  to,    .    .    .    105,  135,  13G,  140,  150,  220 

Bartlett,  Hon.  I., 85 

Beal,  Deacon  S., 131,  238 

Belfast,  Ireland, •    •    •    •      271 

Bennett,  "Eider," 212 

Bexley,  Lord,      183 

Blagden,  G.  W.,  D.  D., 56 

Boardman,  Rev.  G.  D., 46,  76 

Bois  de  Boulogne,      280 

Bowdoin  Square  Church, 133,  134 

Bowles's  Across  the  Continent, 310 

Bright,  E.,  D.  D.,      211,  325 

Brock,  W.,  D.  D., 271 

Brown,  J.  N.,  D.  D 94 

Brown,  Rev.  O.  B., 32,  33 

Buckingham,  Joseph, 139 

( 3S5  ) 


386  INDEX. 

Bunyan,  John, 274 

Burmali,  Missionaries  set  apart  tor, 97 

Burns,  Anthony, 2i;l 

Burroughs,  C,  D.  D., 85 

Butler,  Bisho]), 245 

c. 

Calhoun,  Hon.  J.  C, 44 

Calvinism  a  Power, 336 

Calvin,  John, 173,  270,  337 

Carey,  Rev.  E., 43 

Carey,  W.,  D.  D., 43 

Carnival, 158 

Cass,  General  Lewis, 138,  139 

Caswell,  A.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D., 28,  31,  46 

Catacombs, 165 

Cenis,  Mont,  Crossing, 168 

Chase,  I.,  D.  D., 28,   43,  47,  51,  70 

Chalmers,  T.,  D.  D., 15,  243 

Chamberlain,  Deacon  E., 88 

Chamberlain,  E., 193 

Chamberlain,  E.  D.,      264 

Chaplin,  J.,  D.  D., 70,  72 

Christian  Brotherhood, 2G4,  321 

Christian  Review, 357 

Civita  Vecchia, 148 

Cincinnati,  Ninth  Street  Church, 199 

Clay,  Hon.  Henry, 36,  43 

Colosseum,      161 

Columbian  College, 24,  27 

Corso  at  Rome, 189 

Conant,  T.,  D.  D., 28 

Convention,  Triennial,      27 

Court,  United  States,    . 36,  37,  39 

Cowper,  William, 38,  273,  277 

Crockett,  Col.  Selden, 328 

Colby,  Mrs.  Sarah, 328 

Cushman,  R.  W.,  D.  D.,      28,  47,  329 

E>. 

Dean,  W.,  D.  D. 213,  354 

Denmark,  New  York, 185 

Dickens,  Charles, 139 


INDEX.  387 

Doddridge,  Philip, 275 

Duff,  Rev.  Dr., 251 

Dunbar,  Rev.  Dr. G5 

E. 

Earle,  Rev.  A.  li 311 

Edmands,  B.  F 352 

Ehot,  Hon.  T.  D., 28 

Elton,  Romeo,  D.  D., 41 

Ely,  Rev.  Richard  M., 46 

Evangelism,  Vicv.^s  en, 311 

Everett,  Edward, 52,  54,  167 

F- 

Fenner,  J.  P., 45 

Ferney, 269 

Fletcher,  Hon.  R., 207,  211,  329 

Frankfort  on  the  Maine, 267 

Freeman,  Rev.  E.  W..      100 

Frey,  Rev.  J., 47 

Fuller,  Andrew,      35,  270,  275,  349 

Fuller,  Riciiard,  D.  D., 218,  355 

G. 

Gair,  S.  S., 175,  268 

Garamell,  Prof.  W., 27 

Garrison,  W.  L., 101 

Geneva, 172 

Genoa,      147 

Gordon,  Rev.  A.  J., 341 

Gould,  Dr.  A.  A., 311 

Granville  College.      197 

Greenleaf,  Hon.  S., 250 

Griscora's  Year  in  Europe, 38 

Gurney,  Hon.  N., 184 

H. 

Hague,  W.,  D.  D., 93,  115 

Hamilton,  James,  D.  D., 271 

Hart,  Deacon  H.  B.,      67 

Heidelberg,      267,  282 

Hinton,  Rev.  J.  H., 183 

Howard,  Rev.  L., 17,  18 

Howe,  Rev.  W 132 


388  INDEX. 

I. 

IngersoU.  Hon.  C.  J., 37 

Irving,  E., 271 

Irving,  W., 14 

J. 

Jackson,  Andrew, 36,  103 

Jacobs,  Rev.  B., 105 

Jefferson,  Thomas, 55 

Jenks,  W.,  D.  D,, 312 

Jones,  Prof.  J., 28 

Judson,  A.,  D.  D., 199,  204,  208 

K. 

Kendrick,  Rev.  A., 47 

Kilpin,  Rev.  S., 113 

King,  Rev.  A., 18,  101 

Kirk,  E.  N.,  D.  D.,    .    .        177 

Knapp,  Rev.  Jacob, .178,  192 

Knowles,  Prof.  J.  D., 28,  78,  79,  81,  82,  87,  120,  126 

L. 

Lafayette,  General, 43 

Laura,  Tomb  of, 174 

Leghorn, 147 

Lent,  Influence  of, 165 

Letter  from 

Anderson,  M.  B., 353 

Beal  and  Pratt, 238 

Dean,  W., 354 

Puller,  R., 355 

Peck,  S., 192 

Sears,  B., 357 

Stevens,  J., 201 

Welch,  B.  T., 194 

Underbill,  E.  B., 317 

Letter  to 

Beal,  W.  L., 189 

Chamberlain,  E., 193 

Cone,  S.  H., 183,  185,  206,  207,  209,  261 

Dean,  W., , 323 

Emery,  Mrs.  C.  R 195 

Flanders,  C.  W., 296 


INDEX.  389 

Letter  to 

Guild,  K.  A., 3.32 

Hart,  H.  B., 68,  833 

Hutchinson,  E.  J., 194 

Jones,  Miss  S.  K., 185,  188 

King,  A.,      19,  20,  21,  23,  24,  28 

Lincoln,  H 289,  317 

Manning,  J.  W., 322 

Manning,  S 214,  215 

Nettleton,  Miss  P.  D 234,  257 

Partridge,  Mrs.  J.  H.. 235,  258,  259,  260,  292,  294 

Partridge,  S 234 

Pearson,  I., 320,  331 

Sears,  B., 358,  359,  361,  362,  364 

Shurtlcff,  N.  B., 319 

Stockbridge,  J.  C, 319 

Stov,  Mrs.  D.  N., 186,  187,  190,  192 

Stow,  Mrs.  E,  L.,      278,279,281,283,28^286 

Stow,  Miss  M.  D., 279,  280,  281,  283,  288 

Williams,  N.  M., 297,  321 

Woods,  A., 233 

Lexington,  Burning  of  the,      131 

Lincoln,  Abraham, 305,  309 

Lincoln,  Deacon  E.,      89 

Lincoln,  Deacon  H., 239,  329 

Lucerne, 283 

Luminary,  Latter-Day, 29 

Lyons, 143 

M. 

Maginnis,  Kev.  J.,  D.  D., 79 

Malan,  Rev.  C,      172 

Mamertine  Prison, 160 

Manning,  Guild's  Life  of, 332 

Marseilles, 146 

Mason,  Hon.  J., 85 

Mayence, 281 

McHvaine,  Rev.  C.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D 35,  38 

Mcars,  Mrs.  C. 324 

Missions,  Efficiency  of  Primitive, 121 

More,  Hannah, , 174 

Mailer's  Life  of  Frost, ' 305 

Munich 283 

Murdock,  Rev.  J.  N.,  D.  D., 347 


390  INDEX. 

N. 

Naples, 148,  150,  154,  156 

Nassau,  Grand  Duchy  of, 2GG 

Neale,  Rev.  R.  H.,  D.  D., 177,  341 

New  Park  Street  Chapel, 174 

Noel,  Hon.  and  Rev.  Baptist  W 157 

Northern  Baptist  Education  Society, 359 

P. 

Paris, 138 

Pattison,  Rev.  R.  E.,  D.  D., 28,  71 

Payson,  Rev.  E.,  D.  D.,      34,  G9 

Peabody,  Rev,  A.  P.,  D.  D.,      262 

Pearson,  Rev.  I., 40,  41 

Petrarch, 145 

Pierrepont  Street  Churcli, ,    .    .  238 

Pisa,      147 

Pompeii, 154 

Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  accepts  call  to, 62 

"             "        resigns, .  80 

Pratt,  J.  C, 238 

Putnam,  Rev.  I.  W.,     .    .    .    , ...  64 

R. 

Reminiscences  by  Caswell,  A., 67 

Child,  W.  C, 273 

"                 Hutchinson,  E., 25 

"                 Lamson,  W., 84 

Sears,  B., 357 

Revival  of  1838, 120 

Revolution,  Greek, 36 

Rhine, 266 

Rice,  Rev.  L., 56 

Richmond,  Rev.  Legh,      66 

Robertson,  Rev.  F.  W., 310 

Rome, 157 

Roussel,  Monsieur, 143 

Rowe  Street  Church, 238,  260,  SO.'^ 

"          "           "        Letter  to, 298 

Ruggles,  Prof.  W.; 28 

Ryland,  Rev.  R.,  D.  D., 46 


iNDEX.  3'J  1 

S. 

Sabbath  Scliool  Teacher,  Advice  to, .      252 

Salem,  Second  Baptist  Church,  Call  to, 70 

Scala  Santa, 101 

Sears,  Rev.  B.,  D.  D.,      204,  357 

Secretary,  Foreign  Mission,  elected, 99,  177 

Sermon,  A  useful,      •      117 

Sewell,  Thomas,  M.  D 28 

Sharp,  Us?.  Dani'il,  D.  D., 47,  82,  199,  250 

Sherman,  General, 308 

Skinner,  Miss  E.  L..     .        55 

Slavery, 202 

Spurgeon,  Rev.  C.  11., 270,  288 

Star,  Columbian, 30,  53 

Staughlon,  Rev.  W.,  D.  D., -'8,  35,  36 

Steuben,  Baron 14 

Stow,  Peter, 13 

Sumter,  Fort, 305 

u. 

Union,  Christian, 123,  233,  362 

Union,  Missionary, 213,  215,  253 

Unitarian  Views, 322 

Upper  Alton,  111., 325 

V. 

Vatican, 161 

Vaucluse, 145 

Vesuvius, 155 

Vicksburg,  Fall  of, 308 

Victor  Hugo's  Les  Miserables, 311 

Virginia  Hospitality, 32 

Voltaire, 269 

w. 

Watchman  and  Reflector, 335,  343 

War,  Civil, 304 

Waterville  College, 21,  176,  181 

Wayland,  Rev.  F.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D., 60,  138 

Webster,  Hon.  D., 37 

Weiibadcn,      266 


;VJ2  INDEX. 

Whitefield,  Kev.  George, 76 

Windsor  Castle, 173 

Wolf,  Rev.  Joseph, 44 

Woodbury,  Hon.  Levi,      85 

Woods,  Rev.  A.,  D.  D., 28 

Worship  in  England, 174 

z. 

Zurich, 267,  254 


APPENDIX. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


» 

Daniel  Sharp, 371 

Rollin  Heber  Neale, 373 

William  Hague 377 

John  Calvin  Stockbridge, 380 

John  Nelson  Murdock, 381 

Adouiram  Judsou  Gordou, 383 


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